Aspen
AvalancheEric Panebaker · Dec 18, 2022 · Grand Mesa
Weather
9750’ on a W/NW aspect. Temp. 19 degrees F, Winds SW 10 gusting to 16
Snowpack
Same location as weather. 25cm 4F hardness from recent storm sitting on ~5 cm 3mm facets then ~10 cm 4-5mm facets.
Avalanche
Skier 1 triggered a small avalanche at 9750 feet on a northwest aspect on a 39-degree slope (SS-ASu-R2-D1.5-O). Skier 1 was traveling with his partner and dog and was very familiar with the area including around a dozen visits to that area earlier in the season but he had never skied on that particular slope before. He knew of the avalanche danger and attempted to trigger an avalanche at the top of the slope. After not triggering an avalanche on his first few turns he committed to skiing the slope and after a few more turns he triggered an avalanche and was swept off his feet. The avalanche debris accumulated in a terrain trap and buried Skier 1 about chest deep. He dug himself out of the avalanche debris and joined his partner and dog below the slope where they were waiting for him. Skier 1 initially expected to trigger an avalanche but he thought the slope was safe after he did not trigger an avalanche at the top after his first few turns. Persistent Slabs are a complex problem that is difficult to assess, predict and manage. Skier 1 stated, "The avalanche did what I expected it to do, just not where I expected it." The best way to avoid being caught in a Persistent Slab avalanche is to have large margins for error when you are traveling near steep slopes on aspects where the Persistent Slab avalanche problem is known to exist. Luckily in this case everyone in the party was uninjured and Skier 1 only lost one ski pole.