Vail & Summit County
AvalancheAnonymous · Mar 6, 2017 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
warm weather, 35-40 degrees, overcast. due north facing aspect, above treeline to below treeline. Aspect 35-38 degrees 11,700 elevation
Snowpack
Top half of run is a couloir which was wind affected and firm. At roughly tree line the run aprons and is somewhat flatter, followed by a steeper roll-over convex section. This is where you would expect a slide to occur. While touring in the area previously, a persisent firm layer 14-16" deep continued to exist.
Avalanche
While approaching the steeper section of the run, the snow turned soft, threw me off balance and I fell. After getting up and while standing, the steeper face ripped out below me, approximately 14-16" of the more recent snow sliding on the persistent layer below, which continues to exist after the long dry period and the more recent snow. The avalanche was not major, but did run out to the bottom of the run. It was roughly 50 feet wide and ran 300 feet. After this slide, I skied the area to skier's right of the slide, thinking that the loading of the face and aspect had subsided, and that the remaining snow closer to trees and rock faces along the edge of the run would be relatively stable. This was not the case, however, this triggered a similar slide which carried me down the slope 200 feet. I was not buried, and as the slide slowed down I was able to stand up and ski out. Myself and my skiing partner both had beacons, shovels and probes. It was a good reminder that the new snow still has poor if any cohesion to the persistent slab beneath, and to avoid areas prone to sliding and or avalanche exposure until it does.