Laxgalts'ap Avalanche

Quick report

Weather

cloudy

Ride Type

denseTrees, mellowSlopes, openTrees

Riding Quality

amazing

Snow Conditions

deepPowder

Avalanche Conditions

avalancheConditionSnow

Avalanche

Run Length

100

Slab Width

200

Trigger Type

snowmobile

Wind Exposure

crossLoadedSlope

Avalanche Size

3

Slab Thickness

100

Trigger Sub Type

remote

Start Zone Aspect

NW, W

Trigger Distance

20

Vegetation Cover

openSlope

Start Zone Incline

38

Avalanche Character

stormSlab, windSlab

Number Of Avalanches

1

Start Zone Elevation

1280

Runout Zone Elevation

1200

Avalanche Observation

12hrsAgo

Start Zone Elevation Band

alp

Avalanche Occurrence Datetime

2026-03-08T21:00:00.000Z

Incident

Group Size

4

Terrain Trap

trees

Group Activity

snowmobiling

Number Injured

0

Number Involved

0

Number Caught Only

0

Number Fully Buried

0

Snow Depth Trigger Point

variable

Terrain Shape Trigger Point

convex

Number Partly Buried Able Breathing

0

Number Partly Buried Impaired Breathing

0

While snowmobiling near Laxgalts'ap, we had been riding on either shoulder of the first large open slope in the area and had not observed any signs of recent avalanche activity. The gut of the slope had largely been avoided at the time of the slide but some tracks had been made through the runout zone. We believe the avalanche was likely remotely triggered by one rider, accompanied by a buddy behind, who had moved into position to assess a potential descent on the north side of the slope, the right side shown in the photo. The snow was wind effected with the slope heavily loaded and we suspect the snowpack was thinner over the top, allowing us to get to a weak layer which likely created the settlement that triggered the slide. Note that this ultimately propagated a crown ~200m long towards the South. A separate rider was observing from a safe zone several hundred meters beyond the runout to the North and called it out on the radio. At the time of the avalanche, one rider was actively riding in the North edge of the runout zone while the other three remained outside of it. The rider within the runout zone was positioned in a location and direction that allowed them to avoid the slide without any issue.