Mallard Lodge - Dessert trees - Skier Accidental

Activity

Skiing

Total in the group?

7

People fully buried?

0

People partly buried with impaired breathing?

0

People partly buried with normal breathing?

1

People involved?

1

Terrain shape at trigger point

Planar

Snow depth at trigger point

Deep

Terrain traps

• No obvious terrain trap

Triggered by third skier on slope. Initiated as a pocket of wind slab beside existing tracks. Fracture propagated back up to ridgeline initiating bowl lookers right in photo. Skier was not involved but one group member was buried up to their knees at the regroup area. The snowpack is touchy and the heavy snow load above the Feb 3rd crust has ability to propagate between terrain features that are not obviously connected. Grateful that this reminder to maintain large safety margins did not have a consequence for our group.