Quick report
- Slope Angle
- 37°
Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 30 m
- Weak Layer
- Facets
- Trigger Type
- Snowmobiler
- Vertical Fall
- 46 m
- Avalanche Type
- Hard Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 41 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Unintentionally Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- Northeast
- Avalanche Problem
- Persistent Weak Layer
- Start Zone Elevation
- 3353 m
Not sure where on the slope this slide was triggered from, possibly low on the slope and from a thin spot where the weak snow collapsed and propagated up slope. The second photo shows how you would not want to get caught in this terrain trap, where a small slide like this could bury a person quite deeply.
The slide looks to have failed on the early January facets, then stepped down into weaker snow near the ground. This side of the range typically has a shallow snow pack and much weaker snow than terrain further to the west of the trailhead.