Trigger | Skier | Remote Trigger | 0 |
Avalanche Type | Hard Slab | Aspect | Northwest |
Elevation | 2400ft | Slope Angle | 34deg |
Crown Depth | 24in | Width | 100ft |
Vertical Run | 250ft |
Quick park and poke to look at front range structure ahead of this early December storm. Was able to jump on several small test slopes as I progressed into slightly bigger terrain. Whumpfing, shooting cracks and avalanching on everything! I ended up shouldering my skis and hiking down the avalanche debris. No skiing to be had today!
Trigger | Skier | Remote Trigger | 0 |
Avalanche Type | Hard Slab | Aspect | Northwest |
Elevation | 2400ft | Slope Angle | 34deg |
Crown Depth | 24in | Width | 100ft |
Vertical Run | 250ft |
Triggered this hard slab with my first step from bare tundra onto thin part of the slab. Wish I had my camera at the ready cause I was very confident I'd get this feature to avalanche given widespread collapsing/ cracking on my way up to this point.
Weak layer was 2-3mm facets at the ground. Slab was 6" - 24" deep. HS-AS-R1D2-G
Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
Collapsing (Whumphing)? | Yes |
Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | Yes |
Able to produce whumpfs and shooting cracks in smaller terrain as I climbed toward this slope.
Storm felt like it was beginning to ramp up as I was out.
Wind: 20-25mph from the East, actively cross loading gully features.
Precip: -1cm/ hr
Temp: 32F
Pencil hard wind slab or bare tundra above tree line.
Shallow. HS at pit location was 25cm. Dug a snowpit adjacent to avalanche.
ECTV x 5. Could not isolate a column without the entire column failing at the ground.
Was able to identify 2 distinct wind slabs above the basal facets. Everything was failing at the ground.