Indian Ridge large avalanche

Avalanche date/time

Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 15:30

Estimated occurrence time of avalanche

Less than 12 hours ago

The size of avalanche

3.5

Slab thickness

100cm

Slab width

600m

Run length

1,000m

Avalanche Character

• Deep persistent slab
• Wind slab

Trigger type

Skier

Trigger subtype

Accidental

Remote trigger distance

75m

Start zone aspect

• SE

Start zone elevation band

• Alpine

Start zone elevation

2,450m

Start zone incline

30°

Runout zone elevation

2,000m

Weak layer crystal type

• Depth hoar

Wind exposure

Lee slope

Vegetation cover

Open slope

A skier on the adjacent slope to the run “hog’s heaven” remote triggered an avalanche that propagated widely in the basal layer and ran full path. No involvements. This was a large avalanche that ran across skin tacks low on the slope.

About 30 minutes earlier, our group remote triggered another size 2 avalanche below tree line, maybe 100 or more meters to the climbers right if our skin track. It wasn’t visible from our location, but we noted a large “woomph.”

Pic 1: the big avalanche

Pic 2: bottom of the runout zone

Pic 3: the smaller remote triggered avalanche