Mt. Whymper Avalanche

Quick report

Riding Quality

ok

Snow Conditions

crusty, hard, powder, windAffected

Avalanche

Run Length

60

Slab Width

100

Trigger Type

skier

Wind Exposure

crossLoadedSlope

Avalanche Size

2

Trigger Sub Type

accidental

Start Zone Aspect

W

Vegetation Cover

openSlope

Start Zone Incline

30

Avalanche Character

stormSlab, windSlab

Crust Near Weak Layer

1

Number Of Avalanches

1

Start Zone Elevation

2240

Runout Zone Elevation

2170

Start Zone Elevation Band

alp

Avalanche Occurrence Datetime

2024-02-24T19:30:00.000Z

My group and I worked our way up to Whymper north bowl. On the way up the bowl we noticed a variety of snow textures from crust, to isolated loaded patches, and stale facets. Our group made the call to make it to the plateau of the bowl and make a judgement call. We opted to turn back as vis was getting pretty bad. To avoid dipping into the lowest part of the plateau we contoured around to the bottom of the east moraine. Almost immediately we noticed a change in snow sound and texture from cross loading. We made a quick adjustment but at that moment we popped a large slide above us. The slide propagated quite far around the whole east moraine above us. Out of our group, 2 were buried to their shoulders, and 2 of us managed to stay on top of the slide. No injuries in the party. Lots of lessons learned. Be safe out there!

Incident

Group Size

4

Terrain Trap

gullyDepression

Group Activity

skiing

Number Involved

4

Number Caught Only

2

Snow Depth Trigger Point

variable

Terrain Shape Trigger Point

planar

Number Partly Buried Able Breathing

2

Number Partly Buried Impaired Breathing

0

My group and I worked our way up to Whymper north bowl. On the way up the bowl we noticed a variety of snow textures from crust, to isolated loaded patches, and stale facets. Our group made the call to make it to the plateau of the bowl and make a judgement call. We opted to turn back as vis was getting pretty bad. To avoid dipping into the lowest part of the plateau we contoured around to the bottom of the east moraine. Almost immediately we noticed a change in snow sound and texture from cross loading. We made a quick adjustment but at that moment we popped a large slide above us. The slide propagated quite far around the whole east moraine above us. Out of our group, 2 were buried to their shoulders, and 2 of us managed to stay on top of the slide. No injuries in the party. Lots of lessons learned. Be safe out there!