Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Rowan Kinney · Mar 26, 2021 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Windy and overcast

Snowpack

Mostly stable with a storm/wind slab forming above alpine

Avalanche

The avalanche was triggered during a ski cut of the slope. It ran from the top all the way to the bottom. The crown was 8-12 inches deep. The avalanche didn’t travel without tremendous amount of force. While making the cut the slope fractured and began to slide. While trying to ski out I was knocked off my feet. I was carried for a few moments. While I had my hand at my air bag I chose not to deploy it yet and to try again to ski out. I was able to get enough on my feet to ski out a hundred or maybe mor feet below the cut. The avalanche was maybe 50 yards wide and ran a few hundred feet to the floor. Once it stopped I toured back up and we exited on a safe southern slope.