“It was a really spooky experience for both of us and as soon as I was safe all I could think about was how I’d made a bad call. There were a couple of mistakes that I made prior to the slide but the most crucial one was my ski cut.”
Sketchy footage out of Haines, Alaska where a snowboarder triggered a large D2R3 wind slab after dropping into a chute. Luckily he was able find purchase on the sidewall and avoid getting taken for a ride. Here’s a local avalanche conditions report from Haines Avalanche Center:
“There were numerous reports yesterday of touchy avalanche conditions on all aspects, both natural and human triggered that occurred on slopes greater than 35 degrees. This video is of a D2-R3 human triggered avalanche from 4/4 on a N-NE aspect at 5,200’ in Haines Pass and ran 1000’+ possibly over surface hoar. Reported slides have been 35-150cm deep involving wind, storm, persistent, cornice and wet avalanche problems. With the mix of concerns we have widespread hazard, along with more precipitation, wind loading and solar heating in the forecast. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route finding and conservative decision making are essential.” –Haines Avalanche Center
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