Emerald Peak East

Avalanche

Alex Wright · Feb 9, 2019 · Waterton Lakes

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Quick report

Weather
cold, sunny
Ride Type
alpineSlopes, convexSlopes, steepSlopes, sunnySlopes, openTrees
Riding Quality
Good
Snow Conditions
windAffected, powder

Fairly new wind slab only 15-20cm thick with short (10m) lateral propagation.

Avalanche

Shallow, stiff, high density slab on eastern aspect of Emerald Peak, (not traditional slide path). Of note was the downward propagation. Only the top 20cm slid but the 10m+ width and long runout (100m+) could have grabbed a skier. The slab did propagate upwards 10m but was thin enough to stand against. A larger planar slope could have been a problem.