On one of their first mitigation routes of the season, a group of ski patrollers at Big Sky Resort triggered a massive, hard slab avalanche in the North Summit Snowfield.

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The slide ran for approximately 2,000′ and propagated roughly 500′ across. The slab failed on a weak layer of facets that formed at the beginning of the snow year and this is a great reminder that deep instabilities remain in some of the higher, north facing terrain throughout the northern Rockies.

*Video courtesy of AvalancheGuys

Barclay Idsal is a seasoned writer and digital content producer with over a decade of experience in the ski industry, where writing and skiing rank as his two all-time favorite pastimes. A passionate advocate...