Vail & Summit County

Avalanche

Jeff Grabham · Apr 25, 2019 · Vail & Summit County

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Weather

25-30F, FEW sky, winds gusting approximately 15-25 mph from the NW on the ridge line. Calm winds below 12,000'. Our attempted line was NE facing 35-40 deg.

Snowpack

Wind-affected north-facing couloir with obvious wind-loaded pockets. No pits were dug, and no other avalanches were noted in the immediate area.

Avalanche

Our first cut into a north-facing couloir at approximately 13,200' popped a small, isolated wind pocket averaging 8" deep and 200' wide (full width of the path). This pocket stepped down another 4-6" and ran to the valley floor. The aforementioned pocket took a member of our party for a 50' ride, where he self-arrested as the avalanche flushed around him. It could be classified HS-R1-D1-ASc. The avalanche gathered more snow as it flushed and would have certainly been D2 by mid path, however, this was not entirely visible to the party.