CAIC

Details

Date: 2016/01/03

Observer: Public

Location

BC Zone: Front Range
Area Description: Berthoud Pass/Current Creek

Weather

Weather Description: clear, calm, beautiful day

Snowpack

Snowpack Description: clear signs of loading beneath cornices and high up in Current Creek Bowls. Small natural on NE side of the knob (shown in picture)

Avalanches

Avalanche Description: We topped out on Moonlight coming from the 110s (flat spot on Hidden Knob). As we did, observed 2 skiers crossing midslope under the corniced ridge above us. Looking back toward Russell, we saw their skin track start from the saddle below top of West Ridge and face of Russell. They cut under N. Chutes, under all of Current Creek Bench and Bowls, all about midslope. When we saw them they were trying a high diagonal to gain the knob above Moonlight. If you look at the picture there was a small natural on that very knob and their traverse would have taken them through the debris. They were struggling to maintain an edge and stopped just past the cornice but under (what we deemed to be) the very loaded slope. They were never separated by more than 10 yards or so. They took off skis. Skier 2 sat down and took out a shovel and seemed to be digging out a platform (to put skis on?). Skier 1 was standing, took skis off, punched them tail end in the snow (in the pic you can see a small slab release around where he was standing). He then shouldered his skis and booted straight up. He was maybe 3-5 feet to lookers right of his seated partner so basically above him. I thought that he would never make it either due to 1) too steep and he would slip or 2) the slope would release. He was kicking hard and made it higher than i thought, and about 6 feet from the top the slope released. It was lighting fast and he ended up getting carried down in a matter of seconds. The pictures tell the story. We yelled to see if they were alright.

Date

Location/Path

Elev

Asp

Type

Trig

SizeR

SizeD

2016/01/03 ^†

Berthoud Pass east side

>TL

AF / u

Media

Images

<b>Figure 1:</b> where they stopped. Note small crown above skier 1 on the right (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/mgbi3o36iu7h3v8adcmczxk93xnr?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=68897d38008e94667dbbbfbf883ba922','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 2:</b> small natural avalanche off the knob (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/4pm82ssk5t08vz71xdipjdqz2laq?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=faf5ad5eb30f718127e316a24814715e','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 3:</b> the aftermath. Skier 1's highpoint was just below at the v shape of the crown (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/xn509uuwohjiffzcrkw3usab79nl?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=d4a31fcfc252fa3a6edf6c9476be604b','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 4:</b> remarkably, skier 2 on the left was not carried (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/a67lfaz025yq8kt616rh2d2cjobv?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=ded7599b180acf0b0f468299ded579e6','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)