Quick report
- Slope Angle
- 37°
Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 24 m
- Weak Layer
- Facets
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 21 m
- Avalanche Type
- Hard Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 91 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Unintentionally Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- Northwest
- Avalanche Problem
- Persistent Weak Layer
- Start Zone Elevation
- 2987 m
Breaking trail to the Milly Back Bowl. Within about 50' snow characteristics changed from fist snow over January facets, to 4 finger snow over January facets, to 1 finger snow over... you guessed it.... January facets. When I felt the slab increase in resistance I knew it wasn't the place to be. I heard a faint collapse, saw the new storm snow buckle, and straight lined it onto low angle adjacent terrain.
My first thought was that no one would believe that I actually straight-lined anything and without any pictures, video, or documentation that still may be suspect.
My second thought was... I should've read my own forecast which mentioned this exact thing. Fortunately I reacted quickly once I realized I was pulling the dogs tail too hard. However, in hind sight I should've never been teasing it in the first place. Spacial variability is a crazy thing and given the current snowpack structure I think it'll become more of a player in the next few days.
I'm psyched I can reflect on this lapse of judgment while I finish off my slice of humble pie.