Avalanche

Avalanche: Sound of Music

M. Staples, PCMR Canyons Patrol, & John M.Salt Lake
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Avalanche

Slab Width
38 m
Trigger Type
Snowboarder
Vertical Fall
61 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
East
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Start Zone Elevation
2804 m

Solo snowboarder triggered this avalanche. What's most interesting is that he was very low on the slope when it happened. He had pulled underneath the tree marked in the first photo to release his right foot from his snowboard when he looked up and saw the avalanche coming down.

Snowboarder was standing behind the tree on the left side of the photo below when he saw the avalanche coming down.

Photo below shows cracking and collapsing he observed prior to this avalanche happening.