Skier triggered size 1 at Log Cabin
Incidentalison_dawn · Jan 25, 2019 · Vancouver Island
Quick report
- Weather
- windy, warm, sunny
- Ride Type
- alpineSlopes, mellowSlopes, openTrees
- Stayed Away
- steepSlopes, convexSlopes
- Riding Quality
- OK
- Snow Conditions
- windAffected
Rapid temperature rise 48+ hours before; strong winds from the Southwest; rain at highway level in the morning but stopped well before noon; variable snow conditions: variable snowpack depths, soft to hard slab up to 20 cm overlying facets
Snowpack
Ski pen ranged from 0-20; snow conditions ranged from hardpack to soft; below treeline snow was wet and heavy; above treeline snow was generally wind affected
Avalanche
Skier triggered the avalanche when they skied below a convexity and it then propagated across the slope above the skier; skier skied out ahead of the avalanche which was moving slowly on low-angle terrain. Incline was about 20 to 25 degrees.
Incident
- Comment
- <p>We avoided steep slopes and convexities and skied one person at a time. The skier choose a low-angle planar route just below a convexity and suspects that a shallow spot near the convexity triggered the avalanche which then propagated above the skier and across the slope. Picture attached shows the debris; was taken from a distance as we did not feel safe investigating the slope post-incident.</p>