Avalanche

Avalanche: Red Baldy

Vic HeilweilSalt Lake
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Quick report

Slope Angle
35°

Avalanche

Slab Width
38 m
Weak Layer
Facets
Trigger Type
Skier
Vertical Fall
122 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
30 cm
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
Northwest
Avalanche Problem
Wind Slab
Start Zone Elevation
2957 m

My partner felt a collapse and noticed a crack propagation while we were breaking trail up red baldy, so we altered our plans and stopped a little further (about 1/3 of the way up) on a knoll to pull our skins. Did not feel any collapsing during the first part of the ski down. On the second part, it was a little steeper and closer to a rock band. I skied it first without incident. Then my partner skied and triggered the soft slab (that ran on the same facets we observed on the skin trail where we got the collapse and dug a hasty pit). I yelled to him and pointed to go skiers right, which he did to avoid the runout. It was not a large slide, but could have been enough snow to carry a skier over a cliff band or into trees. In hindsight, there was a lower-angle option that we should have taken since we were aware of the instability.