CAIC

Details

Date: 2023/03/02

Observer: Dylan Craaybeek
Organization: Colorado Avalanche Information Center

CAIC Comments

CAIC forecaster observed a speed flyer on skis trigger a very large avalanche and fly off of it.

Location

BC Zone: Aspen
Area Description: South Bowl off Highlands Peak

Weather

Weather Description: Scattered cloud coverage

Snowpack

Snowpack Description: The avalanche broke on a melt-freeze crust/facet combination buried underneath last weeks storm.

Avalanches

Date

Location/Path

Elev

Asp

Type

Trig

SizeR

SizeD

2023/03/02

Conundrum Creek

>TL

AS / u

Media

Images

$<b>Figure 1:</b> The first few seconds after the slope fractures and the avalanche began. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/l9m8uv46bn0wmqqfn1vq9aefpepu?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=5bec9cebf5dabe4b0d07b8b47460456a','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)$

<b>Figure 2:</b> Seconds after the avalanche began and the slab just began moving downslope with the speedflyer on the ride side of the image floating off the moving debris. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/juooppmllu414t1p3w81vk9q070l?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=6cd610b80599ae2d8d9039f9577482ad','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 3:</b> The avalanche is now gaining speed and entraining more snow as it sympathetically triggers small avalanches farther down the slope. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/6ydvpba7eotes05zbuoxnftmd32p?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=ab16c6bd61224191df73de47c0b40b4a','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 4:</b> A powder cloud developing several hundred feet tall as the debris reaches the valley floor. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/jemziz5u07fyixhgz9q3ccjozlyc?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=75a0d2f14c4128e6d5dae4ef5dd96c81','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 5:</b> The speedflyer flying into the powder cloud. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/xxgwwmofho3fig3lescswul2sztk?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=bbb613bff9ee94b13337e91aaa2c3b14','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 6:</b> The skiers tracks being erased by the crown of the avalanche. You can see two distinct layers of the crown with the upper portion being this week's storm and the lower portion being last week's storm. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/o2bo2ugsx6jid72h8o80h1a5xvpo?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=55f23083eb7904016b346a5c31e07336','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 7:</b> The start zone from the very large skier-triggered avalanche on the South Bowl of Highlands Peak. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/zwl1rgt4h7mdokyws1m96scz2i9h?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=cdbd5d6e9485692948ead8e3a532b563','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 8:</b> The debris from the very large-skier triggered avalanche reaching Conundrum Creek and the landing tracks of the speedflyer that triggered it. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/xanp8lpfik2wyp69f7njrvyszsg4?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=58f54738351e1a3aff06f7d80cf43169','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)