Quick report
- Slope Angle
- 38°
Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 9 m
- Weak Layer
- New Snow
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 30 m
- Avalanche Type
- Hard Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 20 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Unintentionally Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- East
- Avalanche Problem
- Wind Slab
- Start Zone Elevation
- 3078 m
Exiting to Alta at 3pm. Stayed on the ridge from Cardiff Peak pushing some snow to see if east and southeast had refrozen yet. Got a little lower down and further off the ridge towards pole line pass and stopped near a smooth looking piece of snow. Initial thought was surface had refrozen and would make for a decent exit. Heard an audible collapse and noticed a slab had broke out about 5' above me. Was able to fight and self arrest on the bed surface. Wouldn't have been buried but would have been a leg twisting ride with the very dense slab.
Slab was about 8" deep where I was caught and seemed to have warmed during the day and then refroze, slab was 1F to pencil hardness. Under the slab was about 1" of F to 4F dry new snow above a slick mf crust. Its possible that there were small grained facets above the crust but can't confirm.
Incident
- Number Caught
- 1