Vail & Summit County

Avalanche

Kevin Nikolaides · Nov 12, 2021 · Vail & Summit County

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Weather

Mostly sunny. Sustained winds weren’t too bad but frequent strong gusts from the NW all morning above treeline with significant snow transport

Snowpack

Soft and unconsolidated below treeline. Became more wind affected as we ascended and there were stiff slabs on N/NE aspects

Avalanche

Slab avalanche triggered remotely from above on a lower angled slope. One skier jumped on the snow hard and this slide broke about 20m down the slope on a steeper rollover. Didn’t get close to the crown but I would guess about 2 ft at the deepest point. ~12,000’ NE aspect. Gully feature with obvious cross loading.