Avalanche

Avalanche: Cardiff Peak

Kelly, Richards & AWSalt Lake
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Avalanche

Slab Width
12 m
Weak Layer
Facets
Trigger Type
Snowboarder
Vertical Fall
122 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
41 cm
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
Northeast
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Start Zone Elevation
2987 m

Below information from AW:

A group of four snowboarders triggered a sizable wind slab at the bottom of one of the little chutes on Cardiff peak. Much snow was entrained but thankfully no one was swept up in it. We made a brief visit to the site on our way down. We found a stout wind slab across the entire slope, large cracks visible in the bootpack the previous party set up the chute. A quick excavation by my partner found a dense base covered by fresh snow, the wind slab capping off the snowpack. As we left the area my partner noticed shooting cracks come from my skis while I remarked I might have heard a whumpf.