Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 305 m
- Weak Layer
- Surface Hoar
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 152 m
- Avalanche Type
- Hard Slab
- Trigger Detail
- Remotely Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- Northeast
- Start Zone Elevation
- 2896 m
Yesterday a touring party remote triggered this very large avalanche. Ted and I spotted it from the top of Windy Peak this afternoon and got a few rough measurements. This avalanche was of a different breed than the others we observed in the Whitney Basin. It looks like surface hoar is the culprit. Why? The avalanche obviously failed on a very well connected & widespread layer. It reached up into the tops of the subridges, and ran almost full path. The debris field was also quite large. Last, surface hoar is notorious for remote triggering, part of what makes it so dangerous.
Big thanks to the touring party for giving us a heads up on this avalanche. If tomorrow wasn't a storm day, I'd love to go and check it out!