Big Kahuna Avalanche

Quick report

Weather

cloudy, windy

Ride Type

alpineSlopes, convexSlopes

Riding Quality

terrible

Snow Conditions

crusty, hard, windAffected

Snowpack

Obs Type

summary

Site Aspect

NE

Site Elevation

1780

Site Elevation Band

alp

Surface Conditions

crust, surfaceHoar, variable

Avalanche

Run Length

60

Slab Width

8

Trigger Type

skier

Wind Exposure

leeSlope

Avalanche Size

1.5

Slab Thickness

17

Trigger Sub Type

accidental

Start Zone Aspect

NE

Vegetation Cover

openSlope

Start Zone Incline

40

Avalanche Character

looseDry, windSlab

Crust Near Weak Layer

1

Number Of Avalanches

1

Start Zone Elevation

1500

Runout Zone Elevation

1440

Avalanche Observation

12hrsAgo

Start Zone Elevation Band

alp

Avalanche Occurrence Datetime

2024-12-15T22:20:00.000Z

Incident

Group Size

3

Terrain Trap

noTrap

Group Activity

skiing

Number Injured

0

Number Involved

1

Number Caught Only

1

Number Fully Buried

0

Snow Depth Trigger Point

variable

Terrain Shape Trigger Point

convex

Number Partly Buried Able Breathing

0

Number Partly Buried Impaired Breathing

0

Triggered a size 1.5 avalanche while skiing the big Kahuna at around 3pm. As the slope gets to its steepest a wind slab popped and a skier was caught and brought 50-60m through the chute and stopped on the open part of the slope ~20-30 meters below where the chute ends. The skier was not buried or injured and the 2 other group members behind reported a crown of ~15-20cm. The summit had high southwest wind which was depositing more snow than anticipated.