Details

• Date: 2012/12/20

• Observer: Joe M

Location

• BC Zone: Vail & Summit County
• Area Description: Cliff band above Black Lakes
• Route Description: Parking lot to the black lakes cliffs via the ridgeline. Set our own skin track

Weather

• Ridgeline Wind Speed: Calm
• Ridgeline Wind Direction: W
• Wind Loading: Previous
• Temperature: -8 F
• Sky Cover: Clear
• Weather Description: First clear day after storm cycle. Very cold night before, very cold day with temps around -20 at night and -8 at time of leaving parking lot. Lots of wind previous days before

Snowpack

• Snowpack Description: Sketchy at best. Local areas had pockets up to 100cm deep. Basal facets from ground up about 10cm, with dense windslab on top. Lots of collapsing and whomphfs observed.

Avalanches

	Date	Location/Path	#	Elev	Asp	Type	Trig	SizeR	SizeD
	2012/12/20  †	Vail Pass	1	TL	E	SS	AS / u	R3	D2
Date: 2012/12/20 (Estimated) Observer: Joe M Area Description: Cliff band above black lakes. Landmark: Vail Pass Average Slope Angle: 38 ° Maximum Slope Angle: 45 ° Elevation: 11000 ft Sliding Surface: G - At Ground/Ice/Firm Weak Layer: Layer Weak Layer Grain Type: Faceted Crystals Average Crown: 28 in Maximum Crown: 36 in Average Width: 100 ft Maximum Width: 200 ft Average Vertical: 300 ft Maximum Vertical: 350 ft Comments: 2 splitboarders skinned from the Vail Pass parking lot. Lots of collapsing was observed, and caution was taken in approaching cliffs. Low angle route was taken for ascent. Upon reaching the top of the ridgeline, 2 splitboarders traversed the top of the cliff band, staying roughly 20 feet from cliffs at all times. Rounding a tree band, a large collapse occured, and a large, 3 foot deep slab peeled out on the convex roll. 2 other start zones were triggered sypathetically from this slide. No one caught/injured.

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