Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 12 m
- Weak Layer
- Facets
- Trigger Type
- Natural
- Vertical Fall
- 122 m
- Avalanche Type
- Hard Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 122 cm
- Start Zone Aspect
- Northeast
- Avalanche Problem
- Persistent Weak Layer
- Start Zone Elevation
- 3048 m
Broke trail partway up flagstaff shoulder for a quick lap then followed a party of two to the ridge. At the ridge I noticed a very large, very fresh debris pile in the bottom of upper days fork. Worried that the party in front of us had dropped north, my partner and I followed their tracks up the ridge to make sure they were not involved. Thankfully, their tracks ended up descending into Toledo bowl. Not sure if they had set it off with cornice drop or the like, but neither me or my partner noticed any disturbance in the snow near the ridge. We decided to traverses east to Emma 2. On the way over we got a view of the crown: estimated at 3-5 feet deep on a rollover, mid-slope, in a stand of mature trees. Probably D2-3, R3-4. Anybody caught in this slide would have had little chance of survival.
Pic 1 the crown, pic 2 the debris. I'm doing this in my broken iPhone so I apologize for poor image quality.
Also heard reports today of a MASSIVE avalanche in the LSB/N Superior/Cardiac area. Stay safe out there!