Vail & Summit County
AvalanchePatrick Shepherd · Dec 16, 2019
Weather
Clear, cold (2°F)
Snowpack
Thursday through Sunday storm heavily loaded the snowpack.
Avalanche
Location, aspect, and elevation to match above. Appears to be remotely triggered from the side/below. I did not see the event, only the aftermath. A crack can be seen shooting through a wind lip between camera and slide, it extended nearly to camera. Crown was 3-5 feet tall and extended all the way down to the rocks. There was a small section of soft slab that did not step down to the ground but appears to have slide on top of the pre-storm snow. Slope was wind loaded, especially at the top but did not have a cornice. Very large/loose facets near ground. A few inches to well over a foot depending on location. No tracks in or out, but plenty of snowmobile tracks nearby. Scanned debris, no signals. Appears to have taken place yesterday after snowfall had stopped. Definitely large enough to bury and kill. Slid medium relative to path.