Vail & Summit County

Avalanche

Jennifer Rutter · Jan 26, 2020 · Vail & Summit County

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Weather

Windy (from the NW), clear skies, very sunny.

Snowpack

Drifting and cornices on southeast facing slopes at 12,000 feet. South slopes were thin and hard.

Avalanche

Ascending a 25° slope at 12,300, my partner and I remotely triggered an avalanche above us on a south-facing slope, releasing on a 45° slope angle and propagating 100 feet wide. The crown was about 18" and the runout was at least 500 feet. My partner and I were able to traverse to get out of the way of the avalanche.