Vail & Summit County
AvalancheAnonymous · Jan 29, 2014 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Between 1300 and 1600...Partly sunny with steady west wind of @20 mph along the ridge. Light snow began falling around 1630.
Snowpack
I inspected some of the overhanging pillows developing along the E aspect of the slope that belies the svc rd up to mayflower an noticed the following: \ Wind drift of around 6 cm resting on consolidating storm slab of about equal depth. These two layers were perched atop decomposing snow that demonstrated a propensity to collapse and fragment at roughly 35 cm/ 14". As a side note I skied the east aspect of the area that regularly forms a cornice twice. As I left this area I noticed a thin and brittle windcrust that was beginning to form over the majority of the slope
Avalanche
Remotely triggered cornice fall E aspect. Couch size block released at some point while I was traversing the ridge, or to the skiers right as i was descending. Viewed from above there were no signs of related or sympathetic activity.