Vail & Summit County

Avalanche

Ben Donnelly · Apr 28, 2018 · Vail & Summit County

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Weather

Sunny and warm. No wind.

Snowpack

Completely Isothermal Snowpack. Snow was frozen solid and strong enough to support a person without post holeing starting at 9,000' Pitkin Creek Drainage Aspect: W Elevation: Between 10,200 and 12,300'

Avalanche

Pitkin Creek Drainage Aspect: W Crown Elevation 10,900. Toe elevation: 10,150' The line we skied (Purple) had some loose wet debris. The debris was old and I'm guessing it was from Sunday the 22nd. More noteworthy: Just south of our line was evidence of a larger avalanche. Though we didn't take the time inspect it closely, the debris looked newer. I think this was a wet slab because I could see what I thought were 3 distinct crowns way up high. In the photo, the line we skied is purple, the wet slab avalanche is yellow and the crowns are red.