Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 15 m
- Weak Layer
- New Snow
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 91 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 91 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Unintentionally Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- East
- Avalanche Problem
- Wind Slab
- Start Zone Elevation
- 2804 m
Received report from human-triggered wind slab on east-facing Reynolds Peak:
>>>>
By the time we were at the reynolds/ butler fork saddle snow was 16" new with moderate w/nw wind.
Approached Reynolds summit kicked a few cornices with no results. Dropped in and skied a line. Snow on the first few turns was cracking and quite deep. 2+ feet due to wind loading.
Second run walked to summit. Brisk n/nw wind transporting a lot of snow. Approached the wind pillow on the summit and got a collapse. Result was a 50+ foot slide 40" crown running full track. I moved down the ridge another 50' and dropped in. Same as before the top 30' of the run the snow is deep and cracking due to wind transport.
My impression of the snow pack is it is extremely complex. There are ice layers, buried wind slab, graupel and then the weak snow down near the ground.
Danger wheel is key here. Steep, wind loaded slopes will slide and run full track. However this slide did not propagate to an extreme width. On this slope which has slid the slide could not step down. Who knows elsewhere?