| Trigger | Skier | Remote Trigger | Unknown |
| Avalanche Type | Soft Slab | Aspect | South |
| Elevation | 4300ft | Slope Angle | unknown |
| Crown Depth | 15in | Width | 45ft |
| Vertical Run | 200ft |
Avalanche: Hatcher Pass
Location: Eldorado Bowl
Group of 3 skiers dug a snow pit on South aspect of Eldorado Bowl (no reaction, no propagation) before continuing up the existing skin track on South aspect of Eldorado Bowl.
Group of 3 skinned up to Northwest ridgeline of Eldorado Bowl, then traversed south to ski a ridge within Eldorado Bowl.
3rd skier triggered an avalanche on a South aspect of a ridge on the descent. Skier was briefly caught in the slide but navigated to the edge of the slab, was not carried downhill, skier was not injured.
Near Miss / Accident Details
| Number Caught/Carried? | 1 | Number Partially Buried? | 0 |
| Number Fully Buried? | 0 | Number Injured? | 0 |
| Number Fatalities? | 0 |
Avalanche Details
3rd skier triggered an avalanche on a South aspect within Eldorado Bowl.
Crown edge of soft slab was uneven.
One skier was briefly caught in the slide but navigated to the edge of the slab, was not carried downhill, no injuries.
Events of the day
Group of 3 skiers toured to Eldorado Bowl, observed two existing older avalanche debris fields within Eldorado Bowl, both appeared to be at least one day or multiple days old. One of the existing older avalanches debris fields was on a South aspect, the other was on a South-Southeast aspect.
A snowpit was dug at the bottom of the skin track on the South aspect of Eldorado Bowl, extended column test, no reaction, no propagation. Group of 3 skinned up to Northwest ridge above Eldorado Bowl, one skier had a ski binding pin break, which lead to the group choosing a descent route to allow for a less technical descent. The group traversed South to a slightly shallower slope/ridge within Eldorado Bowl.
3rd skier in the group followed tracks of first two skiers, an avalanche occurred at a convexity within the terrain on a South aspect
Rescue events
No rescue required, the skier which triggered the avalanche was not carried downhill and walked off the slope along edge of avalanche debris field.
Obvious signs of instability
| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observer Comments
Two other older avalanche debris fields were evident within Eldorado Bowl, both appeared to be at least one day or multiple days old. One of the existing older avalanches debris fields was on a South aspect, the other was on a South-Southeast aspect.
Weather
Sunny day, clear blue sky. Gentle wind at summit and upper ridgeline, no wind transport of snow.
Snow surface
Old snow, soft surface.
Snowpack
A snowpit was dug at the bottom of the skin track on the South aspect of Eldorado Bowl. Extended column test, no reaction, no propagation. The avalanche was triggered on a South aspect within Eldorado Bowl, not the same slope as the snowpit. Avalanche occurred on a different slope than where the snowpit was dug.
20230304_130830
20230304_130929
20230304_131858