Avalanche

Avalanche: Empire Pass

John ClimacoSalt Lake
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Quick report

Slope Angle
30°

Avalanche

Slab Width
24 m
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Trigger Type
Skier
Vertical Fall
12 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
61 cm
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
East
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Start Zone Elevation
2896 m

Skiing the Empire Pass area today and things were pretty much as advertised. A long north to south ski cut near the ridge crest surprisingly produced no signs of instability. However, at the first gentle turn heading east a crack opened and propegated north rapidly. The released snow broke up quickly and ran a short distance until the slope angle eased. Visibility was very poor but from what I could see it appears to have fractured on the new/old snow interface, likely on nov./oct. junk. Notable to me was just how touchy the snow felt. Had the slope been steeper for longer I've no doubt this could've turned into a day wrecker.