CAIC

Details

BC Zone: Vail & Summit County
Area Description: Peak one - northerly aspect off the east ridge
Route Description: Parked at Bills Ranch, followed trail toward east ridge and skinned to just above tree line. Triggered a small slab on the northerly aspect of the ridge while skinning, shortly before we broke out of tree line

Ridgeline Wind Speed: 5-10 mph
Sky Cover: Broken
Most Significant Precip Rate: S-1 - < 1 cm/hr
Weather Description: Snow was on and off during our 4 hour tour, never more than S-1. Wind was calm to moderate with the occasional gust in the 20s or so. We did not take any temps or measure HS at any point.

Snowpack Description: We did not take any intentional obs other than with our ski poles. Shallow snowpack, facets at the ground with a crust overlaying and then soft slab over top of that.

Cracking: None
Collapsing: Minor
Persistent Weak Layer: Yes
Comments: We could feel the crust layer breaking beneath our skis and collapsing on the basal facets as we skinned. Never produced cracks or whumphing.

Avalanche Description: Just before we broke above tree line the skier breaking trail along the ridge with very steep terrain below (right hand side / northerly aspect) heard a large whumph, and saw shooting cracks behind him as a small D 0.5 soft slab broke on a path on the other side of the ridge he had just passed. Remotely triggered pocket on the slope on the other side of the ridge from roughly 30 ft away at the edge of the ridge. Slab ran on very steep rocky terrain to valley floor below maybe 400ft(?)

Date

Location/Path

Elev

Asp

Type

Trig

SizeR

SizeD

2019/12/05

10-mile Range

AS / r