Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 21 m
- Weak Layer
- Density Change
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 61 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 8 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Unintentionally Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- Northeast
- Avalanche Problem
- Wind Slab
- Start Zone Elevation
- 2682 m
There is evidence of many small to medium naturals from the storm cycle in Mineral Fork and Mill B South, but this observation is about a skier triggered shallow wind slab on GB No. The first photo shows an example of this 3 inch deep wind slab breaking just from passing by on the skin track. If you look closely you can see the crown. Later in the day a couple of guys we saw earlier apparently triggered one of these shallow wind slabs as they skied and boarded over a convex roll near some barely visible rocks. The second photo shows the crown and the upper portion of the debris. The 3rd photo taken from a greater distance shows the debris ran at least 200 vertical feet. Their tracks went in and came out the bottom. We didn't actually see the event, but wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even realize they triggered a slide and just outran it. Getting knocked off your feet by one of these shallow slides would normally be dangerous as you could get carried over a rock band or into a tree, but there is so much snow the rock bands and trees on this run are mostly buried! The place is almost unrecognizable if you're used to how looked the past 4 years.