Reactive in the Duffey

Quick report

Weather

cloudy, sunny, warm

Ride Type

alpineSlopes, convexSlopes, mellowSlopes, openTrees, steepSlopes, sunnySlopes

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

crusty, hard, powder, wet, windAffected

Avalanche Conditions

avalancheConditionSlab, avalancheConditionTemp

Skied Wendy Thompson and Cayoosh area from Feb 17-19. Conditions were variable with a mix of powder, wet snow, wind slabs, wind scoured, and sun crust. We triggered 2 separate avalanches, both size 1 on SE aspects. On Feb 18, a skier was traversing a convex SE slope below Cayoosh Armchair Glacier, when a size 1 windslab released below him. Skier was not caught in avalanche and continued riding (see photo). On Feb 19, a skier triggered a size 1 windslab near a rocky outcrop on a SE aspect in the Marriott Basin above the Wendy Thompson hut. Again, skier was not caught in avalanche (no photo of this slide). Both slabs failed on the thick crust from about 2 weeks ago. Slab thickness was around 20-30cm. A good reminder to keep your guard up.

Avalanche

Run Length

17

Slab Width

15

Trigger Type

skier

Avalanche Size

1

Slab Thickness

25

Trigger Sub Type

accidental

Start Zone Aspect

SE

Start Zone Incline

35

Avalanche Character

windSlab

Crust Near Weak Layer

1

Number Of Avalanches

2-5

Start Zone Elevation

2050

Runout Zone Elevation

2021

Avalanche Observation

12to24hrsAgo

Start Zone Elevation Band

alp

Avalanche Occurrence Datetime

2024-02-19T19:30:00.000Z