Vail & Summit County

Avalanche

Tom Kvilhaug · Feb 19, 2022 · Vail & Summit County

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Weather

Moderate northwesterly winds in the morning, increasing throughout the day. Sustained 20mph winds by the afternoon. Clear skies, mid-20s throughout the day above 11,000 feet.

Snowpack

Firm and cohesive with 2-4” of fresh on top below 12,500 feet on W aspects. Transitioned to a more cohesionless snowpack above 12,500.

Avalanche

We climbed the climber’s right/southern arm of the Piney Plunge, reached the top around 1:30. Winds had picked up substantially compared to earlier in the day. We decided to descend the skiers right/northern arm of the Couloir as opposed to skiing what we climbed. Snow at the top was mostly scoured with rocks exposed. I triggered a small wind slab as I skied into a concave feature near the top of the line. Unlike the rest of the line, the concave choke seemed to have seen some cross loading from the wind. Avalanche broke approx. 2-3 feet above me, but I was able to arrest on the bed surface as the slide moved passed me. Crown was 8-12” deep and no more than 20 feet wide. Broke at about 12,800 and slide to about 11,400 feet.