Weak snowbridge on cornice root

Incident

Group Activity

skiing

Weak snow bridge collapsed covering a ~3m deep cornice root 'hole' on a ridgeline above the Wendy Thompson Hut. We were touring ~6-10m back from the cornice edge, where we believed we were off the potential fracture zone. One skier dropped ~2-3m into the hole after snowbridge collapse, landing on back and sliding upside down into the hole until stopping. The skier was able to self extract without injury. The cornice did not collapse further. Annual reminder to stay much further back from cornices edges than you'd think.