Front Range
AvalancheMaciej Pike-Biegunski · Feb 17, 2014 · Front Range
Weather
The weather was mild (32-34 degrees) sunny and calm. The avalanche slid on an east face, with the initial release at 11,400 feet and running to 10,200 feet.
Snowpack
A 1m snowpack indicated a clear discontinuity at 50cm. The snow above and below that weak layer was high moisture snow, which was relatively homogenous and well bonded.
Avalanche
The initial release appears to have been triggered by a piece of the overhanging cornice on Seven Utes Peak coming off. The initial release was to the ground, with a 3 meter crown. From there, the slide ran down every possible slide path, sometimes going up and over benches, sometimes triggering adjacent slide paths remotely or from below. At the meadow where the skiers normally transition for another lap, the debris ran across the streambed and up onto the skintrack. Debris at the toe was 22-30m deep.