Quick report
- Collapsing
- isolated
A group of 4 skiers travelling to Whitehorse Mountain triggered a D1.5 slab slide. 2 skiers got carried away by the snow. 1 skies out. Another one got pulled into a crevasse and got buried. He was rescued and walked away. North exposure, about 5500' elevation, 35 degrees. Triggered by a ski cut.
Avalanche
- Size
- D1.5 R1
- Type
- SS
- Aspect
- NW
- Trigger
- AS
- Elevation
- 5700 ft
Skiers skinned up the same slope, but it was triggered on the descent by the 3rd skier. This individual put in a "hard traverse" (an untintentional ski cut) and triggered the avalanche. One of the 2 individuals was able to ski off to the side, but the other one was caught and carried approximately 50ft before getting pushed into the crevasse and buried. Snow surface, around midday, was reported as getting a bit heavier and "moist", even on this northerly aspect. Avalanche looks to have broken in several places, or possibly stepped down, on different layers within the new storm slab. Pit tests in the greater area found several shallow and stubborn storm layer interfaces, all less than a foot deep, in the new snow layer.