Details

• Date: 2016/12/25

• Observer: Public

CAIC Comments

Location

• BC Zone: Front Range
• Area Description: Cameron Pass, South Diamond Peak

Snowpack

• Snowpack Description: South Diamond went huge today. The only thing that didn't slide was pabst and ptarm, it went all the way to the ground. For those who boldly skied the face yesterday and today got away with one. Also, it crushed over the bench and down into the drainages that everyone hiked up hours before it went. We witnessed it from the s shoulder. It looks like a remote trigger or cornice fall.?. There where several people hiking up when it happened so hard to say forsure what started it thou. The crown was 700ft wide and anywhere from 18in to 9ft. It was fast and destructive! No one would have out ran this one.

Avalanches

• Avalanche Description: Pretty much the whole face slid down to the ground. Have skied this area for years and never seen a slide of this size. I observed while driving over pass about 2 pm. More info and photos at http://www.powderbuzz.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1888&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30&sid=bf25824ad688df1e52a25645c33ce990

	Date	Location/Path	#	Elev	Asp	Type	Trig	SizeR	SizeD
	2016/12/24	Cameron Pass	1	>TL	NE	HS	U	R3	D2.5
Date: 2016/12/24 Time: 1:30 PM Area Description: South Diamond Peak Cameron Pass Landmark: Cameron Pass Average Slope Angle: 38 ° Maximum Slope Angle: 40 ° Elevation: 11600 ft Sliding Surface: G - At Ground/Ice/Firm Weak Layer: Layer Weak Layer Grain Type: Depth Hoar Average Crown: 36 in Maximum Crown: 70 in Average Width: 2000 ft Maximum Width: 2000 ft Average Vertical: 700 ft Maximum Vertical: 850 ft Comments: CAIC staff visited the avalanche on 12/26/2016 and updated this observation. CAIC staff spoke to a rider who witnesses the avalanche. It happened at approximately 13:30 on Saturday the 24th. The rider stated "Nobody was on the slope when the avalanche occurred, but there were previous ski tracks on the face. My buddies and I watched the avalanche propagate from the north to the south, but we could not see where it started from our position. My best guess is it was cornice fall."

Media

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