Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 91 m
- Weak Layer
- Facets
- Trigger Type
- Natural
- Avalanche Type
- Hard Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 76 cm
- Start Zone Aspect
- Northwest
- Avalanche Problem
- Persistent Weak Layer
- Start Zone Elevation
- 2957 m
We noticed this slide from the West Beartrap ridgeline. The first photo shows the slide form the ridge and the second photo is a bit closer and shows a little of the crown running north.
After skiing down the low angle ridge to the lake, we noticed how far it had propagated to the north. The lake is in the lower right corner of the third photo which shows the entire slide.
It was hard to tell what caused the slide and where it was initiated. We looked at the crown right off of the West Beartrap ridge and that area definitely had significant wind loading, but it wasn't that steep. There was a noticeable sliding surface in this area (approximately 2 finger stiffness). There wasn't a significant weak layer, but we did find some evidence of grauple on top of the sliding surface.