Snowmobile Triggered Avalanche

Date/heure de l'avalanche

lundi 9 mars 2026 à 11 h 28

Estimation de l'heure d’occurrence de l’avalanche

< 12 heures

Nombre d'avalanches dans ce rapport

1

Taille de l’avalanche

2.5

Épaisseur de la plaque

70cm

Largeur de la plaque

64m

Longueur d'écoulement de l'avalanche

300m

Caractère de l'avalanche

• Plaque persistante
• Plaque à vent

Type d'élément déclencheur

Motoneige

Sous-type d'élément déclencheur

Accidentel

Versant de la zone de départ

• NO

Bande d'altitude de la zone de départ

• Alpin

Altitude de la zone de départ

2 100m

Inclinaison de la zone de départ

31°

Altitude de la zone de dépôt

1 795m

Exposition au vent

Pente chargée latéralement

Couverture forestière

Pente dégagée

# Avalanche Incident Report

## Bralone Area - "The Books" | March 9, 2026

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On the afternoon of March 9, 2026, a group of seven snowmobilers were riding in the Bralone backcountry near a feature known as "The Books." At approximately 4:30 PM, while traversing a northwest-facing slope, one of the riders triggered a size 2.5 avalanche.

The slide appeared to be a wind slab that released on an underlying crust layer—a common weak layer interface that had been building in the area. The avalanche ran with enough force to catch one member of the group, carrying him downslope and burying him up to his neck in debris.

Fortunately, the buried rider's head remained above the snow surface. This outcome was likely due to his avalanche airbag, which he had deployed during the slide.

The remaining six members of the group responded immediately, and dug out their companion and extracted his snowmobile from the debris. The buried rider sustained no injuries. The entire group exited the area without further incident.