Pump Peak Burial

Quick report

Weather

foggy

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

heavy, powder

Avalanche Conditions

avalancheConditionSlab, avalancheConditionSound

Went for an exploratory ski tour and stumbled upon the scene of an avalanche that involved partial burials. See avalanche and incident pages for their respective details.

Weather

Wind Speed

windSpeedModerate

Blowing Snow

light

Sky Condition

fog

Wind Direction

SE

Temperature Trend

steady

Precipitation Type

snow

Avalanche

Run Length

70

Trigger Type

skier

Avalanche Size

2

Trigger Sub Type

accidental

Start Zone Aspect

S

Vegetation Cover

sparseTrees

Avalanche Character

stormSlab

Number Of Avalanches

1

Start Zone Elevation

1380

Runout Zone Elevation

1310

Avalanche Observation

12hrsAgo

Start Zone Elevation Band

tln

Avalanche Occurrence Datetime

2024-03-10T18:00:00.000Z

Incident

Group Size

2

Group Activity

snowshoeing

Number Involved

2

Number Caught Only

1

Snow Depth Trigger Point

shallow

Number Partly Buried Impaired Breathing

1

Two snowshoers descending from Pump Peak triggered a size 2 avalanche on a S aspect in an area that was steep, rocky, and where the snowpack was likely locally shallow. One person was carried a distance and partially buried, while the other was more deeply buried with snow impairing breathing. The first person dug themselves out from the snow, called 911, then proceeded to search for their partner. Luckily their partner's snowshoe was visible sticking out of the snow and they dug their partner out by hand. North Shore Rescue promptly responded and managed the victim's hypothermia in the stormy conditions. The ultimate outcome was very fortunate considering that the victims were not equipped with avalanche gear or education.