Size 2 avalanche - South Ribs of Simpson

Activity

Skiing

Total in the group?

3

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

Concave

Snow depth at trigger point

Average

Terrain traps

• Trees

Size 2 triggered.

Party of three. Few loose/dry sluffs in the first turns of the day made us choose a mellower slope angle in trees. 300m into the run, following a rib, the first skier went down with no issue. The second skier decided to ski a little open pocket, bridging back into supported terrain. Turn within the pocket triggered an avalanche and propagated 60m well into the open area. The avalanche ran for 70m down into an avalanche gully. Crown was 40-50cm at its thickest point and varied in thickness. The third skier had eyes and warned the skier in the avalanche, who was already skiing back into supported terrain alerting him of danger. The second skier was able to grab onto a tree early in the slide before sliding much further and being carried at greater speed into terrain traps.

Skier was buried from the waist down and was left uninjured and a little shaken.

Skiers spent three hours trying to locate a missing ski, and improvised using ski straps and a 6ft long branch to "skin" back over the ridge and back to the cars.