Observation: South Ridge of Beaver Mountain

The party of very experienced backcountry skiers that triggered the avalanche accessed the ridge by skinning up it from the Franklin Basin TH. However, the area is easily accessed from the top of Beaver Mountain. The "Backside" of Beaver Mountain is very popular "sidecountry," often accessed by powder hungry locals and families. People need to remember that once they pass through the boundary gates they are entering the backcountry and they could trigger dangerous avalanches. Since avalanches aren't all that common, people get away with venturing out there often. Everyday, we see people out there alone or solo, and most people that venture out there are not using any avalanche rescue equipment, and they never see any avalanches.

Let this avalanche remind us that dangerous avalanches are possible on the Backside. We are set up for an accident out there folks, so get the gear, beacon, probe, and shovel, for yourself and your loved ones. Bring it and a partner if you venture into the Beaver Backcountry...

We found very small grains of sugary snow on top of a crust.