Avalanche

Avalanche: Valhalla Face

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Avalanche

Slab Width
12 m
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Trigger Type
Natural
Vertical Fall
91 m
Avalanche Type
Wet Loose
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
South
Avalanche Problem
Wet Snow
Start Zone Elevation
2286 m

Two in a foraging party on the Valhalla Face in midday. The pair practiced wise travel protocols and stayed stayed well spaced apart since they were obviously in avalanche terrain. They triggered a few pastry-like roller-balls and noticed some recent natural wet activity on a similar adjacent slope, and they were just starting to reevaluate their route when Honk started a large snowball rolling while pawing for fresh grass shoots around a sage. The snowball rolled down slope and initiated a wet avalanche, which did not catch or even scare either one.

I noticed this new wet avalanche this afternoon. It wasn't there when I came up canyon, but occurred within about a half hour. I took some photos of the fresh slide from a distance and didn't notice that I had captured the Moose in the shot until I enlarged it later. (Weed 2-8-2016)