Caribou Creek Avalanche

Submitted by: acquaminerale
Observations date: Monday, April 25, 2022 at 18:45
Location: 49.953470° N 117.624580° W
Reporting on: Snow conditions

Information

Activity: Skiing

Group details

Total in the group?: 4
People fully buried?: 0
People partly buried with impaired breathing?: 0
People partly buried with normal breathing?: 2
People not injured (caught but not buried)?: 1
People injured (caught but not buried)?: 0
People involved?: 3

Terrain details

Terrain shape at trigger point

Planar

Snow depth at trigger point

Variable

Terrain traps

Slope transition or bench

Comments

Second day of trip. Woke up to cloud cover and grey skies. Previous day was sunny with good stability. 4 skiers went looking for dry north aspect skiing. At 11:45 am skiers were nearing summit. First skier started a boot pack, while remaining 3 skiers waited below with skis and skins on in walk mode when a slab avalanche released. Presuming avalanche was triggered by skier #1's boot pack or weight of the 3 skiers on a buried wind slab.

3 skiers were caught in the avalanche. Skier #2 went for a 260m ride stopping at the first bench on the surface of the snow, partially buried. Skiers #3 and 4 both travelled 430m down slope to the second bench. Skier #3 was knee deep and stayed on surface of the snow during the avalanche, and was able to walk out of the debris as the avalanche slowed. Skier #4 was partially buried, upper body emerged as the avalanche came to a stop. No serious injuries.

Crown ranged in depth from 40cm to 110cm. Some large debris (up to 2m x 2m chunks). Start zone elevation: 2365m. North aspect. 90m wide, 900m long.

Photo taken where skiers #3 and #4 stopped 430m downslope of start zone. Skier #1 can be seen skiing down to skier #2

Skiers #3 and #4 came to a stop on a bench above lake (avalanche continued down to the lake)