Avalanche

Avalanche: No Name Baldy

CSalt Lake
View on map

Quick report

Slope Angle
35°

Avalanche

Slab Width
30 m
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Trigger Type
Skier
Vertical Fall
21 m
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Slab Thickness
30 cm
Trigger Detail
Remotely Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
Northeast
Avalanche Problem
Wind Slab
Start Zone Elevation
3139 m

On our way up towards the Pfeifferhorn, there was extensive cross loading on NE side of subridge from very strong westerly winds. We remotely triggered two avalanches on the sub ridge next to Lake Shot on the way to No name baldy and Pfeifferhorn. One wind slab cracked above me, and propagated to cause a small avalanche 10 to 20 feet below me. As we climbed near the ridge, we noticed another, wider wind slab remotely triggered avalanche on the leeward side of the slope, that seemed to break off near a small cornice on the subridge and propagate across a wide part of the slope. Winds were cranking for much of the day at 10,000' ridgelines, much stronger than I expected, so we turned around and went back. The first four photos are of the first avalanche and the last photo is of the second avalanche. If you look closely at the first photos, you can see the cracking and collapsing that occurred around my feet that propagated to cause the first smaller slide below.