Vail & Summit County

Avalanche

Anonymous · Jan 8, 2020 · Vail & Summit County

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Weather

20190107 1110am Skies clear, 18F, no precipitation, winds moderate gusting strong.

Snowpack

Weak basal facets overlaid with pencil hard hard slab 30-45 cm +/-, actively wind loading. 10-15 cm +/- 4 finger soft slab top layer.

Avalanche

20190107 1110 Jeremy Deem & Rob Martin Slope west of Pacific Bowl at head of drainage approximately 1.5 miles NNW of Arapahoe Basin. 39*39'18.72"N, 105*53'28.06"W slope aspect 170* SSE slope angle at crown 38* estimated crown elevation 12024 HS-NO-R2-D2-I/O 220' +/- vertical, slide ran 450' +/- total Crown 125' wide, varied from 10 cm to 60 cm at deepest point in the approximate center of the crown. *Note that we are calling this a natural trigger and not artificial, because of the track that we observed going in and out of the path. The rider would have assuredly been taken with the slide to the bottom of the path if he/she were in the path when it released. That said, he/she may have sympathetically triggered the slide after exiting the path.