Incident

Avalanche: Cutler Ridge

Bill BrandtOgden
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Quick report

Slope Angle
38°

Avalanche

Slab Width
30 m
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Trigger Type
Skier
Vertical Fall
122 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
61 cm
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
Northeast
Avalanche Problem
Wind Slab
Start Zone Elevation
2591 m

Skied 2 prior runs on same aspect without incident. Ski cuts and jumping on slope rollovers produced no results on these runs and on similar slopes leading to the slope that slid. On the third run a ski cut less than 40 yards away on a slope of the same aspect and steepness produced no results. The third slope released as skier 1 entered slope. Skier 1 was able to ski off of soft slab to the right and stop against a tree after traveling about 100 ft downhill. Skier 1 was knocked over at edge of slide, not buried or injured. This area that slid was steeper and more wind loaded than the other 2 slopes skied. The slide ran on the new snow old snow interface.

Photos of crown and upper edge of debris field.

Incident

Number Caught
1
Number Carried
1