Avalanche: Emma Ridges

At approx 3 pm Alta Central received a call of a skier involved in an avalanche off the Emma Ridge. A party of two were descending Emma Two, carefully navigating the terrain, when one of the skiers triggered a small wet slide. The skier went for a ride and hit a large chunk of set up debris, pinning his arm, as momentum continued to carry him downhill, resulting in a possible fractured arm. There was no burial and the injured skier and his partner, were able to ski down without additional assistance.

These two skiers were doing everything right by choosing a conservative route. However, spring avalanche conditions can change rapidly with just a little warming, a brief glimpse of sunshine, or a bit of greenhousing, and even a small wet slide in steep terrain can stack up a lot of snow in a hurry. I hope the injured skier recovers quickly from their injuries.