Caught in an avalanche this sat!!!

[backcountryislife]

A buddy of mine's wife got buried on sunday, we saw a lot of little activity up by my house, saw some 4' deep cracks where I was playing on a small convexity & had layers constantly peeling off when I went up or across steeper slopes.
I hope this stabilizes & makes a strong base, but from what I see around me it's looking like as we add snowload there will be quite a few future failures, bad base to start the season on.

 

[snokaw]

Thanks for the info. Glad you made it out OK.

Man, I was watching riders in that area a week ago Sunday, with the winds and new snow it must have loaded that slope. I am out in Colorado this week and we are going snowboarding south of Eagle, Colorado into the backcountry. Just reading your story will make me more aware of our surroundings. With the winds kicking up this new snow, conditions are changing quickly. We will be digging a few snow pits and checking staibility as we travel.

 

[SRSP-211]

Glad to hear you made it out OK
As a ski patroler and avalanche instructor for ski patrol I agree with your recomendation to get a good beacon. Also keep in mind that everyone in your party should have a beacon, a shovle, and a probe. Other thing that cant be stressed enough with the beacon is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.
Did you happen to note how deep the fracture was at the top of the avalanche or what layer it slid on?
Just wondering becasue i dug a snow pit on Sun (close to the ski area) and found a surface hoar layer about 2 ft down that had an easy shear.

 

[Rprecision]

Thanks for sharing, been a odd year for slides

Glad your here to tell the tale