Two ocean mountain

Went for a tour on Two Ocean to try and get up above the rain line and find some soft snow. Ended up finding some great skiing and smooth powder. On our first lap we skied a slightly mellower run a 100 yards to the west. Good snow overall but a bit more wind affected. No signs of instability. Second run we decided to get into a bit more sheltered terrain, and found softer snow. Nice smooth pow. Towards the bottom of the run there is a steeper pitch with a roll over at the top. The two skiers in my party dropped ahead of me on the skiers left of where the slab released. There was no sign of instability. I went slightly more skiers right. The roll certainly looked like it could fail. So I opted for straight line to a good exit path. The slab released as I rode over the steepest and shallowest point, and propagated across where the other two skiers had dropped. I stayed ahead of it out of harms way. Crown depth was about 12-24” and a width of 60-80’. On our way up for the first lap, we passed a group of three who were breaking trail and noticed one wasn’t wearing a pack. We continued past to the top after saying hello, they caught back up as we were transitioning and made some small talk. I asked if they were wearing beacons to which they answered, “No, we didn’t believe there was enough snow here to warrant it.” After some discussion about avalanche activity already this year, we gave them some advice on a mellow route down where it would be unlikely to trigger anything. They were visiting from out of town and had not been monitoring the conditions in the area. They appeared to have completed their lap without issue as I saw their tracks out after our second lap and their vehicle was gone when we reached ours. A good reminder that early season conditions do not mean “safe” and that complacency or ignorance could be creating responsibility to others around you. While this slide would likely not have buried anyone, it could easily cause injury pushing you into trees and other shallow snowpack obstacles. No signs of instability

Two ocean mountain

Quick report

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