Front Range
AvalancheStephen Hanzlik ยท May 20, 2019
Weather
It was windy and snowing up high, with rolling clouds and sunshine lower down. Temperatures ranged from the mid-thirties to mid-twenties, depending on cloud coverage and wind. Strong winds scouring the ridge were moving snow into the chute that slid.
Snowpack
Leeward east-southeast aspect. Consolidated icy snow underneath. There was 3 to 4 inches of soft slab on the surface.
Avalanche
Let loose a small slab of new snow that slid on a consolidated icy layer. The slab broke about 50 feet across and 75 feet long and 3 to 4 inches deep. A skier triggered the slab. It broke above the skier and carried them over a small cliff band. The skier deployed a float pack, and the skier stayed on the surface of the snow. One ski came off and was carried well below the skier.