Goat Ridge - Avalanche (Hallway Couloir)

On Sunday, we went to Goat Ridge with the plan to assess conditions and possibly ski one of the couloirs. There was approximately 15–25 cm of new snow, and the avalanche danger was considerable. Upon reaching the basin below Goat Ridge, we saw two skiers skinning up Chamois Chute. To avoid potential hazards from their ascent or descent, we decided not to follow them. We incorrectly assumed they intended to ski the Chamois Chute. We chose Hallway Couloir for our ascent, planning to assess conditions as we climbed and transition before the choke or earlier if needed, expecting wind affected snow at the top of Goat Ridge. As we ascended, we observed evidence of a previous avalanche in the couloir, and snow conditions in the middle of the couloir appeared stable. Small sections closest to the walls were wind-loaded. Approximately halfway up, around 1,630m, a large avalanche released from above and hit both of us. The mass of snow concentrated into the narrow couloir and coming from above made us both struggle to reach for the airbag trigger, but as the slide began to slow and spread below the couloir, we both managed to deploy our airbags. Fortunately, we both ended up on the surface and were able to dig ourselves out—one at approximately 1,470m and the other at 1,370m. After gathering what we could find (one ski and three poles), we moved to a safe spot at the bottom of the basin. About 15–20 minutes later, the two skiers we had seen earlier descended via Hallway Couloir and skied down toward us. They informed us they had done a ski cut at the top of this couloir, triggering a larger-than-expected storm slab avalanche that hit us on our way up. They were unaware that we were skinning up. We were not injured in the avalanche and we hiked back down to the gondola on foot.