Front Range
AvalancheAnonymous · Apr 17, 2019 · Front Range
Weather
Partly cloudy, mostly sunny.
Snowpack
Recent storm deposited a new storm layer on top of an older consolidated layer. Riders observed the new layer of snow to range from 2-10" deep in varying areas on the mountain. Riders noticed on the Plunge route that the top of the older consolidated layer (layer that which the new storm layer rests on) felt hard and icy. This exhibited the lack of bonding between the old and new layer as discussed on the CAIC report.
Avalanche
An avalanche was triggered by the first rider on the third lap. The avalanche (most likely a wind slab) was triggered (around 1 pm) at the top of a roll where the slope transitioned from <30 degrees to a roughly 32 degree slope on an east facing aspect. The crown of the slide was roughly 6 inches thick. The triggered slide moved the rider about 40 feet down with no partial burial. The toe of the slide ended roughly around 80 feet from the crown. (Figure 1 includes a picture with one of the riders for scale.) The rider who triggered the slide noticed the icy layer beneath the new snow. As the two riders started exiting the area they noticed several other slides in the same area. It is not clear if those slides were natural or triggered by other riders (Figure 3).