Details

• Date: 2013/02/03

• Observer: Douglas Mock

Location

• BC Zone: Front Range
• Area Description: North facing bowl "Corner Pocket" at top of 110s dropping into Second Creek from beneath "Postage Stamp" is where avalanche occurred
• Route Description: Climbed west side to top of Russell, skied north chute from Russell false summit, booted to top of Hidden Knoll, skied "Y Chute," skier's right fork, reclimbed Knoll on looker's right, skied skier's left "X Bowl," dropped to aqueduct, ascended 110s, skied "Corner Pocket," descended to Second Creek trailhead, hitched to top

Weather

• Ridgeline Wind Speed: Calm
• Ridgeline Wind Direction: U
• Wind Loading: None
• Temperature: 25 F
• Sky Cover: Clear
• Weather Description: Beautiful! Warm, sunny, with almost no ridge top wind at all. A rare day in CO February

Snowpack

• Snowpack Description: Soft slabs abound, especially at ridge tops, though not as hollow underneath as anticipated. Coverage is overall thin. Hard ski cuts at top of all runs did not produce results. "Corner pocket" soft slab, approx 18" thick, was sitting atop faceting crust layer at top of run.

Avalanches

	Date	Location/Path	#	Elev	Asp	Type	Trig	SizeR	SizeD
	2013/02/03	Berthoud Pass west side	1	>TL	N	SS	AS	R3	D2
Date: 2013/02/03 Time: 12:30 PM Observer: Douglas Mock Area Description: North facing bowl, "Corner Pocket" descending into Second Creek drainage from top of 110s Landmark: Berthoud Pass west side Average Slope Angle: 36 ° Maximum Slope Angle: 39 ° Sliding Surface: G - At Ground/Ice/Firm Weak Layer: Layer Weak Layer Grain Type: Faceted Crystals Average Crown: 12 in Maximum Crown: 18 in Average Width: 50 ft Maximum Width: 75 ft Average Vertical: 200 ft Maximum Vertical: 300 ft Comments: Skier 1 ski cut top of bowl from right to left, avoiding a pocket of steeper windload at far skier's left. Descended center of bowl to safe zone at bottom right. Skier 2 dropped into bowl from slightly lower and more right than 1, made eight turns to right of 1's track. Slab broke approx 2 turns above skier 2 and propagated right and up. The area is really two avy paths which join at bottom, the bowl proper and a set of rockier chutes right. Avy propagated well above and right of 2, perhaps 50-60 ft above at highest point and 100 ft right of 2. Skier 2 skied easily off slab to safety left. Avy ran approx 200 ft from trigger point. Trigger point found at layer of faceted crystals Skier 1 noted 18" down at top of run, then stepped down to ground. Crown was deepest immediately above trigger, shallower as it moved right even though bed surface was snow at trigger and ground to right. Slide moved rather slowly downhill after initial cracking. Skier 2 noted distinct feeling of settling when crossing trigger point.