Quick report
East/NE aspects off Ophir Peak had developed a crust that made skiing difficult. Snow was becoming very sticky and difficult to ski, though it cooled off substantially later in the afternoon and was less sticky. No signs on instability noted on the more northerly aspects, however the more south facing Slide mountain was getting baked and many roller balls are visible in addition to the avalanche I took a picture of. The day was quite warm but quickly cooled off as this warm storm moved in (maybe the combo of wind + sun setting behind clouds produced the effect). Skin tracks coming out of Ophir Creek were quite poorly conceived, needlessly staying in avalanche terrain when there was safe terrain a hundred yards away that can be followed all the way to the summit. Just a friendly reminder to make sure that skinners prioritize safety. Don't be tempted to stray needlessly into avalanche terrain, even if there is a downhill ski track to follow!
Avalanche
- Size
- D2
- Aspect
- SE
- Trigger
- NR
- Elevation
- 8000 ft
I was skiing off of Ophir peak and transitioning back to skinning near the Price Lakes when I heard a loud crashing roar. I skinned back up the skinner and found that a large point release avalanche had run on the ESE aspect of Slide Mountain. It started in a south facing rocky outcropping and looks to have been triggered by rockfall that precipitated the avalanche. That checks out with the crashing rockfall sounds I was hearing and debris pile being very dirty