Quick report
- Slope Angle
- 40°
Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 14 m
- Weak Layer
- Depth Hoar
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 30 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 61 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Remotely Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- North
- Avalanche Problem
- Persistent Weak Layer
- Start Zone Elevation
- 3170 m
Some skiers remotely triggered this avalanche earlier in the day and we came upon it later in the day and I investigated. Judging from their tracks, they triggered the slide while descending from about 60 feet away from the avalanche. No one was caught.
The culprit weak layer was the depth hoar near the ground. The entire slope collapsed when they skied it as I saw it spider-webbed with cracks. Only a small portion of the slope actually slid, which was the steepest, most wind-loaded portion of the slope.
Note: this is a different slide than the one reported by Evelyn, which involved someone getting caught. This one was about 150 yards away but on a similar aspect, elevation and steepness and exactly the same snowpack structure.