Skier Remote Trigger Size 1

Skinned up toward Adder today with an interest in skiing some of the longer northern runs off the summit. Snow quality consisted of widespread sugary surface hoar on the north aspect. Solar aspects held soft snow or a 5 cm crust. We observed several indicators of instability including old pinwheeling, wind loading, two natural avalanches, and several whumphs and cracks while skinning. The lead skier triggered a size 1 windslab avalanche above a terrain trap. The old skin track runs through the slide path in a wind-loaded area with multiple convexities. We anticipated some reactivity with wind slabs on the north aspect, yet we were surprised by the remote trigger and cracking that we observed. Following the slide we turned around and enjoyed some mellow turns. Later on we ski cut a north facing convex roll and produced similar results to the skier accidental.

Incident Report

Size 1 remote trigger above terrain trap while skinning. No harm to anyone in the group but a close call and could be more consequential in the wind loaded alpine terrain of the zone.