Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 61 m
- Weak Layer
- Facets
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 91 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 76 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Unintentionally Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- East
- Avalanche Problem
- New Snow
- Start Zone Elevation
- 2652 m
After skiing a few laps of great powder in yellow jacket trees we took a look into Toots to Boot to see if it would be possible to make a reasonable exit to Alexander basin.
We noticed that the cornices at the top were significantly larger than the last time we skied the slope (this past Tues) and there were obvious signs of active wind transport and loading. We knocked down a large cornice on the main panel but didn't notice any reactivity. We regrouped and decided that it would be reasonable to ski the far skier's left side where the slope angle wasn't as steep, right on the edge of the aspen grove.
Skier 1 descended without any issues. When skier 1 radioed that he was down and in a safe spot, skier 2 began their descent. Things seemed to be going smoothly until I heard skier 1 radio up to 2 that there was a slide and that he should ski to the right.
Shortly afterwards skier 1 and 2 radioed that 2 was ok, and that there had been a significant slide several hundred feet left of skier 2's tracks that had remotely triggered. I followed their tracks and skied the debris pile down to the bottom.
In hindsight, skiing into Alexander basin was lazy and foolish - we should have just skied yellow jacket drainage back to main porter. The spot where the slope slid was surprisingly far left deep in the aspen grove. None of us thought that was a problem area, which speaks to the unpredictability and danger of the pwl this year.