Front Range
AvalancheJeremy Dobish · Dec 24, 2013 · Front Range
Weather
The weather was snowing, with about 4" of new snow. The winds were blowing very strong from the SE. The elevation was between 11,600 and 11,800.
Snowpack
The snowpack was about 40cm of windblown consistent snow on large facets at the ground. the facet layer was around 15-20cm depending on the area. Multiple hasty pits were dug. Due to wind-loading and small clumps of trees, the facet layer varied. The snowpack described was on NE face. The density low, about fist dense.
Avalanche
The first skier left the small clump of trees at the top of the slope and skied a 32º slope down to a safe zone on the opposite side of the gully. the second skier took the line slightly to the right on a slope that ended up being a convexity that rolled over at around 35º. the second skier made 4 turns, and on the 5th turn, noticed a large shooting crack above him. They skied directly into the trees on the opposite side of the gully, as this was the direction they were heading. The snow was slow moving, and skier 2 was able to ski out of the slide zone. The crown was between .5-1m and roughly 30m long. The slide path was roughly 300m long. Skier 1 was in a safe zone and called out to skier 2, as soon as the he saw the slide start to occur. Skier 2 skied down to skier 1, and they maintained visual and audible contact throughout the event. After the slide had stopped moving, the debris field was still soft, indicating it was slow moving. The weak layer was the facets on the lower layer, causing it to rip to the ground.