Avalanche

Avalanche: West Monitor

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Quick report

Slope Angle
35°

Avalanche

Slab Width
18 m
Weak Layer
Density Change
Trigger Type
Natural
Vertical Fall
152 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
51 cm
Trigger Detail
Cornice Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
Northeast
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Start Zone Elevation
3048 m

Saw this avalanche in West Monitor this morning, looks to have occurred early morning. The trigger was a natural cornice drop that calved off and ran down the slope approximately 300 vertical feet then released a soft slab avalanche mid-slope, widening to 60 or so feet about 1.5ft deep and running another 500ft to the flats, looked like new snow only but the crown was quite clear. I suspect it ran on the density inversion at the bottom of the storm snow, that I was feeling all day.

Photos: looking down on the cornice trail, you can see where it triggered a soft slab that propagated out to about 60ft wide.