Ursus Minor - Ski cut strike team
Observed Dec 13, 2023, 6:00 a.m. PST · Selkirks
This report was submitted with an older form.
Quick report
- Comment
- Fifth skier on the slope today. Group of 3 30min prior and partner just before. Slab triggered on second turn, skiing right on someone else's track!
- Weather
- Sunny
- Ride type
- Alpine slopes, Sunny slopes
- Riding quality
- Good
- Snow conditions
- Powder
- Avalanche conditions
- Avalanche condition slab
Avalanche report
- Run length
- 500
- Slab width
- 80
- Trigger type
- Skier
- Wind exposure
- Cross loaded slope
- Avalanche size
- 2.5
- Trigger sub type
- Accidental
- Start zone aspect
- SE
- Vegetation cover
- Open slope
- Start zone incline
- 35
- Avalanche character
- Persistent slab
- Crust near weak layer
- No
- Number of avalanches
- 1
- Start zone elevation
- 2600
- Runout zone elevation
- 2100
- Weak layer burial date
- 2023-12-02
- Avalanche observation
- 12hrsAgo
- Weak layer crystal type
- Facets
- Start zone elevation band
- Alp
- Avalanche occurrence datetime
- 2023-12-12T20:30:00.000Z
Incident report
- Group size
- 1
- Description
- We skied Ursus Minor Peak today, 5th skier down the lookers left bowl feature shown in the photo triggered the slope. The trigger point was on his 2nd turn at the location of the crown (marked with x on photo). A hasty pit was dug at the lower bench below the slide. We found the facet surface hoar layer down 45cm (snow depth being 85cm at this location). Tests provided mixed results, however when conducting an ECT it failed upon isolation. Learnings included: 1.) Sucker tracks suck, make your own decisions. 2.) Classic thin to thick area with wind loaded pockets being significantly deeper than adjacent zones. Watch for spatial variability in shallower snowpack
- Terrain trap
- Cliff
- Group activity
- Skiing
- Number injured
- 0
- Number involved
- 1
- Number caught only
- 1
- Number fully buried
- 0
- Snow depth trigger point
- Shallow
- Terrain shape trigger point
- Planar
- Number partly buried able breathing
- 0