Sawatch
AvalancheAnonymous · May 28, 2019 · Sawatch
Weather
Friday night was cold with a hard freeze. Saturday morning was a bluebird with temperatures quickly rising by mid-morning. Elevations above 12,000 feet were windy and cold still, allowing for drifting snow to build on east and north faces.
Snowpack
Hollow-sounding snow above 12,000 feet.
Avalanche
Our party of 3 was planning to ski the Hopeful Couloir. As we neared Hope Pass, we veered west and stayed south of the ridgeline. At approximately 13,000 feet, Skier 1 left the slope and headed to the ridgeline. Skiers 2 and 3 continued up the slope and started boot packing up the last steep section near the summit. At about 13,900 feet, Skier 2 triggered a wind slab avalanche that propagated across the slope for several hundred feet. Skier 2 and 3 were caught and carried down the slope for 600 or 700 feet. There was another party of 2 below (Skiers 4 and 5) that saw the slide and were not able to get out of the way before it got to them. Everyone caught in the slide was able to stay on top of the avalanche debris. Skier 1, who had left the slope, was not caught on the slide. Skier 3 was dragged over some small rocks and had minor lacerations, but everyone was able to walk away. The crown of the avalanche varied in thickness from 6 inches to 2 to 3 feet in some places.