Incident

Avalanche: Cardiff Fork

BilbowSalt Lake
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Avalanche

Slab Width
24 m
Weak Layer
Facets
Trigger Type
Snowboarder
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
46 cm
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
Northeast
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Start Zone Elevation
2743 m

Was caught, slid 20 feet but managed to get a hold of a branch and hang on. The slide ran for approximately 200 ft through the timber.

Takeaways: Any momentary lapse in judgement is unacceptable. Just because I enjoyed skiing similar aspect and slope angle 1500 vert higher doesn't mean I should lower my guard. Conditions can change rapidly and I should have took into account the higher ambient temperature which had yielded a slightly wetter, more dense and cohesive slab at the lower elevation. Lastly, just because I made a small ski cut where I thought it would go and didn't get any signs of instability, doesn't mean it won't slide two turns down.

Incident

Number Carried
1