Jamie Culp writes: "This video should serve as a reminder never to let your guard down while traveling in the sidecountry or backcountry. This slide happened around 11:30am on 1-2-12. Red flags were plentiful on this first sunny day after about a 30" cycle, and we almost got seriously spanked."
Eli adds: This group of riders chose to ski "Pucker Face" in the Jackson Hole backcountry in CONSIDERABLE (Level 3) avalanche conditions. The snowpack on this slope is completely unsupported due to the horizontal cliff bands which remove basal support. Due to this inherent terrain configuration, this is prime avalanche terrain under all but the strongest snow conditions. When the danger rating and other information available would lead one to conclude that this slope is high probability avalanche terrain combined with a bad terrain trap (cliffs) - a "GO" decision for this slope should have been seriously questioned by all involved.
The snowboarder triggered a 36-inch deep hard slab, Size: R2 D2.5, Aspect: southeast, Elevation: 10,150', Slope angle: >45.
These stats are very similar to the hard slab avalanche triggered by a skier at Berthoud Pass in CO the day before this close call.
Luckily, no one was caught in the slide as the slab did not propagate far enough above the boarder to pull them into what could have been a deadly slide and the two previous riders on this slope were obviously very, very lucky.
Last year 25 people died in the U.S. in avalanches, mostly between January and May. Don't be one of the 20 people likely to die in avalanches in the next five months.
