well this is a tough thread for me to write but i think it is necessary. as some of you may have figured out already, i was involved in the avalanche in mineral fork last thursday. it happened after a long day of touring (approx 8hrs) and was the result of improperly checking the snowpack. small 200lb cornices were dropped on this slope and others adjacent to it with no results. this probably lowered my guard but not entirely. we had observed a natural avalanche on a NE aspect that ran full track sometime during the previous 2 days. the aspect i was skiing was just slightly different, due east but the natural had already slipped my mind within 15 minutes. we noticed bomb holes on many of the slopes as we traveled up the ridge. we also took note of evidence of heavy windloading that occured during the prior storm. with the small cornice drops not producing results i figured that they must be beggining to stabilize. i still was not confident enough to center punch the line, especially when there was a very obvious rollover in the middle to the right of the path. here is a pic from december when wpg did control work to aid in the search for the missing snowshoers:
the path (left) did not slide in this pic but you can see the rocks poking out thru the snow on the left of the pic. this is what creates the rollover.
i was looking at the arete (rock rib) to the lookers right as my safezone. i would put a slope cut in from near the middle of the slope to the arete. if nothing went, which is what i was expecting, i would parallel the arete down until i reached the apron. the slope had obviously been loaded on the right but i thought there would be less wind deposit on the arete and that the deposits would have settled by now with all the high pressure we had been getting. gramps wanted to take some time and drop a larger cornice but in the interest of time they continued on up the ridge to find a longer run. i stayed to take some photographs and watch them come down. i did not know that their slope angle would be less than mine as it seemed to just get steeper as the ridge went. in this situation the right thing to do would have been to rope up and dig a pit to see what we were dealing with or just go somewhere else that was safer by means of terrain. well, i took off my skis, took a break and got myself ready to snap some shots of gramps and trackhead as they descended to the flats. after that i visualized my line and my possible exit points if something did go wrong. by that i mean i also took note of where i did not want to be, namely near the rollover and shallow rock on the skiers right. i called ready to trackhead and he confirmed so i shouted dropping in 3,2,... and put a fast slope cut in. i was about 2/3 the way to the arete and 10-15' from the ridge when i heard and felt the slab shear. it took all of my momentum from me as i was preparing to commit to the line. i immediatly dropped to my stomach and tried to arrest on the bedsurface but the slab was so thick that i could not reach it with my whippet. at this point my 2 second window to get off had passed and i had to roll onto my back and start to backstroke as i accelerated faster than the slab. my first thought when i felt the slab break was "get off now". after i knew i couldn't i thought "oh my god it has me, i'm gonna ride this thing down". after i started moving quick i began thinking of how i had put my partners in an aweful position. i then saw the snow buckling in front of me and thought i was going under. i ditched my poles and began backstroking even more heavily. this whole time i am trying to stay on top i am also pushing myself left, both to get out of the slide and to stay away from the rocks and cliffs that may be uncovered by the slide. the snow is still flowing at about 30mph(?) while it buckles on the rocks and benches. i lose sight infront of me as the snow appears to overtake me like a surfer in a big wave but each time i swim hard come out on top. my thoughts are clear and lucid as the arete funnels the snow deeper in my direction. i think i may soon know what it is like to be buried alive. i concentrate on getting out and staying on top but in the back of my mind i think about when the snow comes to a stop. i know i need to swim hard, expand my lungs, clear an airway infront of my face and get an arm up in the air. these thoughts come all at once and quick but clear. a few seconds later i feel myself rising in the snow and i continue to backstroke to the side. i have cleared the arete and the debris in the track begins to fan out. at this point i realize that i have a real chance to get out. my skis have stayed on the whole time and i have been trying to edge my way over to the left but now it is working. i watch the snow continue down as stand up straight line down with no poles to my partners who were preparing to rescue me. my thoughts quickly turn to anger at myself for what i have done. i am extremely apologetic to my partners for the position i have put them in. nothing i can say at that point can explain the way i feel about what i have done to them.
we momentarily look back at the slide and take in the magnitude of the event. i snap one picture for reference and ask to get out of there:
![]()
the deposition pile was ~5-7' deep. likely SS-AS-R3.5-D3-O
link to bruce trempers investigation
there was very little snowpack left under the bedsurface which i believe was the bedsurface from the big january slide cycle. extremely weak facets made up the weak layer with mostly windloading for a slab. the facets were the result of natural avalanches. these kept the snowpack thin and allowed the facets to flourish during the clear/cold nights since the temperature gradient would be steep.
the avy forecast was moderate (skier triggered avalanches possible on slopes steeper than 35*). avy forecast for 2-24-05
this is how i screwed up. i hope this helps to keep others from making similar mistakes.
Bookmarks