Avalanche: Butler Basin

We ski cut and skied the slope above with a more easterly aspect transitioned and started to ascend the ridge. While ascending to the ridge, the first skier approached a large tree and was about to kick turn when the slope failed. The slope propagated up 50' to the ridge line and across the top, taking out one of our down tracks. Both skiers were caught and carried approximately 150 vertical feet. Both skiers were partially buried and had avoided high-consequence tree islands. The debris at the toe and around the tree island was 10+ feet deep. Both skiers came out totally unharmed. This was an extremely close call and one I will never forget. Key takeaways: We deviated from our original plan to ski something steeper; this was bull's-eye terrain and felt uneasy traveling through it. Both partners did not fully speak what was on their mind. We talked ourselves into ascending the terrain given that it was a relatively small slope. Be safe out there my friends. [Forecaster Comment: Thank you for the honest reflection. This appears to be the same slope that avalanched on Jan 12.]