Vail & Summit County
AvalancheHugh Carey · May 4, 2021 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
The summit of Point 12,885 was windy, approximately 15-35 mph winds, when we arrived little after 12 pm. Partly cloudy skies with intermitted light snowfall at the time.
Snowpack
Nearby ski resort, Breckenridge, reported 3 inches of snow in 24 hours Monday morning May 3 and additional two more inches Tuesday morning May 4. The snow surface below the new snow was firm/frozen solid on the north facing aspect. Slight overnight freeze.
Avalanche
In group of 3, first skier entered the couloir at skier's far right and made two turns before exiting to the first rocky knoll/crag on the right. Skier was not caught in the slide as two other skiers observed from the top. The soft slab of new snow was triggered by the second turn of first skier. The slab continued down the couloir, mostly stopping several hundred feet below the skier. The sluffs and other snow debris continued down until out of sight. We canceled the objective and climbed back to the top and skied the east face of Red Peak.