Joffre Peak - Aussie Couloir
Summary
A near miss occurred due to limited visibility of other parties in the couloir and incomplete communication between groups travelling on the same line.
Incident details
Our group of two reached the top of the Aussie Couloir. Earlier on the approach, we had spoken with another group who planned to ski the same objective. We agreed to use the same radio channel to improve communication.
Before dropping in, we waited at the top to allow that group to close the gap as they were almost there. From our position, we could not see or hear any other parties below us in the couloir.
At the entrance, I ski cut a pencil hard wind slab that was concerning. The slab propagated approximately 15 m wide, fractured about 20 cm deep, and ran fast and far, entraining additional sluff.
After a couple turns, I noticed a skier climbing up the couloir below, partially hidden behind rocks. I stopped skiing immediately to avoid pushing additional sluff onto her. I attempted verbal communication, but strong wind prevented voice contact. She continued climbing without looking up. She didn't seem concern by my presence.
I remained stationary in an exposed position for several minutes, as moving would have sent sluff directly toward her. Once she had moved mostly out of the fall line, I continued skiing.
Further down, I encountered a group of two stopped in a safe spot. One member reported being hit by sluff up to chest height during my initial ski cut and nearly losing balance. I was unaware of their presence at the time. He acknowledged that they were accepting the risk of climbing while parties were above. But I still feel bad about that knowing that it could have ended up way worse.
A third member of their group had chosen to wait at the bottom specifically to avoid exposure from overhead traffic.
I informed them that my partner was still at the top and that there were additional parties above. They chose to remain in their safe location until my partner descended. My partner later stopped with them and shared our radio channel so they could communicate with the remaining group above. Super good idea from my partner here!
Takeaways
Communication between groups in confined avalanche terrain is critical.
Ask other parties about their plans and radio channels whenever possible (buy a radio if you don't have one).
When arriving earlier or later than other groups, it may be impossible to have these conversations.
As backcountry traffic increases, additional strategies for managing uphill/downhill traffic in couloirs may be worth discussing.
Would having a system similar to the one used on forest service road be overkill or good to have?
There's unfortunately no comment sections here but maybe we could have a discussion about this subject on one the many ski touring Facebook group.