Remote Triggered Avalanche Near Woody Creek, Cooke City

COOKE CITY
Cooke City
Code
SS-ASr-R1-D2
Elevation
9400
Latitude
44.99630
Longitude
-109.90200
Notes

While skiing a zone called "ollies woods", a southern aspect that's relatively low angle, we noted widespread loud whumphing of the snowpack in the trees. I Spent some time traversing around the tree'd face on the way down to my group, traveling far right to a sub-ridge where the aspect changed to east, the terrain became more open, and slope angle became steeper. I felt a large whumph, paused, and turned around descending the rest of the southern aspect to the valley bottom.

 

Once back to the valley bottom, I saw a recent avalanche had slid just below where I was standing earlier on the sub-ridge. Looking from a far, the crown looked about 10" - 15" deep, 60'-100' wide, and fractured on a layer of facets. The slope angle was 31 degrees and at 9100ft elevation. See photo, x marks my relative location when I heard the "whumph"

 

Number of slides
1
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Avalanche Type
Soft slab avalanche
Trigger
Skier
Trigger Modifier
r-A remote avalanche released by the indicated trigger
R size
1
D size
2
Problem Type
Persistent Weak Layer
Slab Thickness
12.0 inches
Slab Width
100.00ft
Slab Thickness units
inches
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Single Avalanche
Advisory Year