Crystal Mountain Avy destroys lift

[MikeMetzger]

For those that havent seen or heard, this is crazy!

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/03/avalanche-at-crystal-mountain-destroys-lift/

Video:
http://www.kirotv.com/videos/news/raw-video-chopper-7-over-crystal-mountain/vCS52N/

The crown shown at the end of the video is HUGE!

 

[diamonddave]

Jaysus....

 

[2Thetopp]

Holy Fawk! That's why I don't ski anymore, too dangerous!

 

[heep70]

DANG! I heard about it. Didn't think it was that big of an Avi.

 

[SNOBI-WAN-KENOBI]

Wowzer's!! THAT...Is a Big Boy Avy!!!

 

[Grahamsled]

Someone posted this yesterday.

http://vimeo.com/88929496

 

[MikeMetzger]

Wow! Insane!

 

[Tmann]

This magnitude of avalanche is going to be a possibility all the way through the spring. It's due to something called a persistent slab which you can read about on the NOAA avalanche site. THEY HAVE A LOW PROBABILITY OF BEING TRIGGERED BUT WHEN THEY DO THE MAGNITUDE AND THE DEVASTATION ARE MIND BLOWING AND THE CHANCES OF SURVIVAL ARE ALMOST 0%

don't right above your buddy and only one person on the hill

 

[Wapow]

This magnitude of avalanche is going to be a possibility all the way through the spring. It's due to something called a persistent slab which you can read about on the NOAA avalanche site. THEY HAVE A LOW PROBABILITY OF BEING TRIGGERED BUT WHEN THEY DO THE MAGNITUDE AND THE DEVASTATION ARE MIND BLOWING AND THE CHANCES OF SURVIVAL ARE ALMOST 0%

don't right above your buddy and only one person on the hill

Yeah, there's a potentially weak layer about 10' down in the snowpack, and your advice is good all the time, but you're not going to trigger that slab with a snowmachine anytime soon (might come back into play in May or June when everything goes to slop). Truth is they just plain phu_ked up. They wanted to eliminate any danger right after the pineapple, so they used a 40 pound charge that triggered a climax slide (down to dirt). But for that trigger, there wouldn't have been any slide whatsoever. No similar natural slides have occurred, and the snowpack throughout the area is now back to full stability. They should have just left it closed for a few days, while the percolation worked itself out. It's interesting to note that the owner's wife is on the pro patrol and was in the group who placed the charge. I'm guessing that's why they immediately spun it as an unfortunate outcome of "safety work" as opposed to a really stupid and costly mistake.

 

[IGBT]

Someone posted this yesterday.

http://vimeo.com/88929496

Damnit now I want a quad copter again (you can see the rotor blades in that very cool video that was evidently taken with a quad or hexapod copter)

 

[rhino]

No similar natural slides have occurred, and the snowpack throughout the area is now back to full stability.

Not sure when you say "area" you mean ski area or cascades. There were several natural releases in the national park that were also massive with 6 foot plus crowns.

If it's not one thing its anouther when it comes to our snow situation

 

[YAMA S]

Did anybody else catch it in the story about they were "thinking" about replacing that chair lift? It would be a lot easier to do that if ya got a big insurance check... Wouldn't it? I smell something fishy.

 

[Matte Murder]

YAMA S that is a really interesting theory. Put a 40lb ANFO charge right under the lift and rapidly dis-assemble a creak old chair lift with 1000 tons of snow!