Macdonad West Shoulder

Quick report

Weather

cloudy

Ride Type

denseTrees, openTrees, mellowSlopes

Stayed Away

convexSlopes, alpineSlopes, steepSlopes

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

powder

Avalanche Conditions

avalancheConditionSnow

Avalanche

Run Length

30

Slab Width

20

Trigger Type

skier

Avalanche Size

1.5

Slab Thickness

60

Trigger Sub Type

accidental

Start Zone Aspect

SW

Vegetation Cover

sparseTrees

Start Zone Incline

30

Avalanche Character

windSlab, stormSlab

Crust Near Weak Layer

1

Number Of Avalanches

1

Start Zone Elevation

2020

Start Zone Elevation Band

tln

Avalanche Occurrence Datetime

2026-03-13T17:10:00.000Z

Triggered a size 1-1.5 slab avalanche on the up track of MacDonald West shoulder. No signs of instability prior (no whumpfs or shooting cracks). No skier was caught. Prompted us to stay below tree line and avoid steeper slopes for the rest of the day. The slab released on what could be the rain crust extending higher than expected, or a solar crust layer. The failure was not on the persistent layer.