CAIC

Details

Weather Description: Light snow, some sun. First Creek @ Berthoud Pass. North to North East Aspect.

Snowpack Description: Lots of new snow, started to settle. Some windloading. Aspect was North to North East. Elevation 11,000 ft. Ski cuts resulted in no movement, pit looked good with little movement (no photos of pit).

Avalanche Description: Storm slab, spread across about 50 feet as I triggered it while skiing through and from below. It then propagated into the choke and took me off my feet and resulted in partial burial up to chest. Group of 4 experienced backcountry skiers and were lapping lower first creek in the trees all morning and day...we made the decision to step up in elevation and I was the first skier down (had three spotters set up in various locations and also an exit route/safe zone selected). Fracture started below the lowest ski cut and was behind me when I heard someone yell. I made it to skier's right and to my safe zone, but my ski hit a rock under the fresh fallen snow and bounced me BACK into the path of the growing slide. Carried me about 60 yards and down through the choke (chute). Debris was roughly 100 feet across at the bottom of the chute and I was partially buried up to my chest. Lost one ski and had a pulled leg muscle in the other but it allowed me to semi-self arrest and avoid from going fully under the snow (swim, swim, swim!).

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