Avalanche

Avalanche: Snake Creek Pass

L. DunnSalt Lake
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Quick report

Slope Angle
40°

Avalanche

Slab Width
8 m
Weak Layer
New Snow
Trigger Type
Skier
Vertical Fall
30 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
25 cm
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
Southeast
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Start Zone Elevation
2865 m

While skiing over a steep breakover (approx 40 degrees at the break, but rapidly loosing steepness below), a small fracture propagated out to the left of the skier and released a small slide approximately 25 feet wide that ran about 100 vertical feet. It was about 10" deep, basically the new snow in the past 24 hours. The skier did not stop and we only saw the avalanche while ascending on the skin track after the run. We didn't examine the bed surface but it was likely some sort of density change in the multi-day storm, or possibly a very subtle sun crust as the slope faces southeast.