Avalanche

Avalanche: Key hole

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Quick report

Slope Angle
38°

Avalanche

Slab Width
11 m
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Trigger Type
Skier
Vertical Fall
107 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
28 cm
Trigger Detail
Intentionally Triggered
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Start Zone Elevation
3170 m

Making my way to Cardiff Fork this morning, discovered that the new snow was not bonding well to the old snow surface, set off quite a few shallow soft slabs in Cardiff Bowl and on the ridge line from Cardiff Peak to the Key Hole entrance. Figured that the Key Hole would probably avalanche too, entered on skiers right and about 25ft off the ridge the slope fractured and propagated out about 30 or 40ft. The crown was from 10 to 12 inches in depth and the debris ran about 300-400ft. Not much of a surprise it pulled out, the clues were all there, recent avalanches, wind loading, and new snow not bonding well to the old surface.