- Date: 2013/01/17
(Estimated)
- Observer: Crested Butte Avalanche Center
- Landmark: Snodgrass Mountain
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- Comments: We were going to ski the rib to the left of the first chute, above the field of aspen saplings, overlooking the first main meadow on your right at the top of Snodgrass. Our plan was to collect at the top of the rib then ski from there. The second skier into the top of the rib triggered a 4' wide slough of snow which went all the way to the ground (75 cm?) and grew from there. There was no propagation as the point release was started completely by the skier. The slide sieved through the saplings and ran to the floor. EThe remnants of the persistent weak layer we've been hearing about was all that was left
At that point our intention was to work left into the trees and safely pick our way down through them. a left turn ski cut toward the trees which triggered the second slide. This larger slide was also strained through the trees below, running larger and farther than the first slide. Our main concern with skiing the slide path was that there were three smaller pockets still not triggered that if released above us would push us through the trees. We kept on our initial exit plan of picking through the trees to the left and skiing the lower angle snow left of the slide path, using the debris field as our safe zone. All skiers were unharmed.
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