Cornice and windslab failure

Quick report

mhalik · Dec 9, 2019 · Chic-Choc Mountains

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Quick report

Weather
windy
Ride Type
alpineSlopes, openTrees
Riding Quality
Amazing
Snow Conditions
powder
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionSlab, avalancheConditionSound

Saw this slab and cornice debris yesterday on McBride peak. Suspect it was triggered the day before by a sled as there were tracks a couple of feet from the upper fracture line. This avalanche released on a southwest face at around 2000m and was created by strong northeast winds. We decided to avoid wind-loaded slopes in the alpine that faced north through east and headed to the better skiing down lower. The skiing was amazing in the sheltered trees, much better than the wind affected alpine zone and much safer too.