Vail & Summit County
AvalancheRobert Emmons · Jan 8, 2021 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Sunny, calm, and warm conditions after a cold 0 degree night. 20-25 degrees at the time of skiing.
Snowpack
About 1-2 feet of facets, a fairly strong crust, with about 1-2 feet of new snow on top. Sun was warming the new snow and becoming slightly denser.
Avalanche
Skier 1 took a lookout spot on the top of the run to watch snowboarder 1 drop into his run. Snowboarder 1 dropped over the ridge to a small section skier 1 couldn’t see him. At this point the avalanche triggered all around snowboarder 1 and propagated along the entire mountain. 1-4ft crown, 1000 feet across the slope. He deployed his airbag and rode down a fairly exposed zone. He came to a rest unburied and uninjured. He communicated with skier 1 that he was ok via radio so he descended in the debris field. 2 remote triggers also become apparent 1000-2000 feet away on similar slopes.