Vail & Summit County
AvalancheScott Gilpin · Jan 13, 2014 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
When we woke up at about 7:00am on Saturday, January 11th, visibility was a few hundred yards, with clouds below 12,000 feet. By the time of the avalanche (9:20am), skies had cleared, it was sunny, and there were only high clouds, mainly in the east. Temperature was still below 20 degrees.
Snowpack
Winds were very strong for most of the day on Friday, blowing from the west, which likely deposited a lot of new snow in Resolution bowl. Based on what we observed on the route from Jackal Hut to Fowler Hilliard (Pearl Creek / Resolution Creek) there was probably 8-12 inches of new snow in the past 24-36 hours before the avalanche. We didn't dig any snowpits, and no one examined any part of the avalanche after it slid.
Avalanche
A natural avalanche occurred in Resolution Bowl (the N/NE face of Resolution Mountain) at about 9:20am on Saturday, January 11th. We were staying at the Fowler Hilliard Hut. Most of the entire bowl slid, from close to the top of the bowl, and the runout extended below our line of sight from the hut. I would estimate it was several hundred feet wide, with maybe close to 1,000 vertical feet runout. I have pictures on my camera at home and can upload them tonight.