Quick report
- Slope Angle
- 40°
Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 24 m
- Weak Layer
- Density Change
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 274 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 10 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Intentionally Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- South
- Avalanche Problem
- Wind Slab
- Start Zone Elevation
- 3261 m
Strong N winds on the ridgeline up to Superior. We dropped into the main shot of the south face of Superior at 0845. A slope cut released a small (30 ft across, 4 inches deep) wind slab below the skier. The slide ran for probably 1000 ft down the gully. About 200 vertical feet below the summit, another slope cut/traverse triggered another wind/soft slab (80ft wide, 4 inches deep, red arrows on photo) that propagated outward on both sides of a ridge and ran for 900 vertical. The wind slabs were very reactive. The surface underneath was hard sun crust. The slides were very manageable and broke away below the skier both times. The snow lower down on the shot was variable and ranged from dense powder to sun/wind-affected crust.