Avalanche: Chugach State Park

Location: False Peak

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

Toured up Little O’Malley gully & traversed the ridge toward False Peak. 5-6 inches of new, light snow that was not bonding with the firm layer beneath in various spots. Solar radiation was increasingly affecting the snowpack as the day went on, the snow growing stickier and heavier as we neared our drop-in point. On the approach, we could see some natural point releases coming off the top of False Peak. At approximately 2:30pm I triggered a small slide from the notch on the W shoulder.

Avalanche Details
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Trigger SkierRemote Trigger No
Avalanche Type Wet Loose SnowAspect Southwest
Elevation 4000ftSlope Angle 35deg
Crown Depth 5inWidth 30ft
Vertical Run 400ft  
Avalanche Details

At approximately 2:30pm, we dropped into the False Peak bowl from the notch on the W shoulder. One of my partners went first, taking a conservative traversing line skier's right out of the notch, noting that he was kicking off some minor wet slough. I dropped in second, following the fall line more directly. I made a few turns and at approximately 4000 ft, triggered a D1 slide that propagated 30 feet across, running 400 vertical feet down the fall line into the bowl. The crown was approximately 5 inches deep--storm snow only. After triggering the slide, I made a turn out of the fall line and was not caught or carried. I pulled over on a high point and turned around to see the slide traveling fairly slowly down the gut, stopping at approximately 3600 ft. We skied the rest of the bowl & out into the meadow without further incident.

Red Flags
Red flags are simple visual clues that are a sign of potential avalanche danger. Please record any sign of red flags below.
Obvious signs of instability
Recent Avalanches?Yes
Collapsing (Whumphing)?No
Cracking (Shooting cracks)?No
Observer Comments

Small point releases coming off of False Peak

Weather & Snow Characteristics
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Snow surface

New snow

Photos & Video
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