auto: Quick Report

Riding quality was:

Good

Snow conditions were:

• Powder

We rode:

• Convex slopes
• Mellow slopes
• Open trees

We stayed away from:

• Steep slopes

The day was:

• Cloudy
• Sunny

Avalanche conditions

• 30cm + of new snow, or significant drifting, or rain in the last 48 hours.

Snow stability tests were performed on south facing slope at 1240 m. Results were:

ECTN7, 10 cm down. ECTN18, 25 cm down. ECTN25, 48 cm down.

CTE7, 8 cm down. CTM15, 25 cm down. CTH25, 35 cm down. CTH27, 53 cm down.

Skier triggered size 1 avalanche occurred on south aspect, ~1340 m, ~38 degree slope. Soft slab broke ~25cm deep on an icy layer beneath skier as skier made turn on a shallow convex. Skier safely rode skiers right to lower angle slope. The fracture was a clean break travelling downhill (skiers left) approximately 7 m; the break to skiers right was not clean and the slab was pulled away from the snowpack. The avalanche would unlikely have buried the skier, but could have pushed him into the trees below had he been caught in it.

The snow stability test showed this layer fracturing in both the compression and extended column test; it did not propagate in the ECT. We were aware of the new snow and of this layer, but saw no signs of instability on the skin up or while skiing other south facing slopes prior to the avalanche occurring. This slope was steeper, and had a more pronounced ice layer, than others we had encountered or that was in our snow pit. This was the second skier down. The first had skied about 20 m skiers left and had felt the icy layer and did a ski cut without result, so skied the slope safely. The skier that released the slide performed a hard turn on the convex and the slab released.