| Trigger | Skier | Remote Trigger | No |
| Avalanche Type | Soft Slab | Aspect | West Northwest |
| Elevation | 2600ft | Slope Angle | 35deg |
| Crown Depth | 24in | Width | 150ft |
| Vertical Run | 700ft |
Avalanche: Summit
Location: John Mountain
We toured up to John Mountain to investigate a fatal avalanche accident (details in video below and this preliminary accident report) that occurred the afternoon of February 13. We collected avalanche information and dug a pit adjacent to the north flank of the avalanche. We found the weak layer to be the facets that formed during the January cold spell. We will be publishing a full report shortly so we can all learn from this tragic event. We are grieving with our community during this difficult time.
Near Miss / Accident Details
| Number Caught/Carried? | 3 | Number Partially Buried? | 0 |
| Number Fully Buried? | 1 | Number Injured? | 2 |
| Number Fatalities? | 1 |
Avalanche Details
See avalanche report posted on our accidents page for details and events.
Obvious signs of instability
| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observer Comments
Active wind loading
Weather
Clear and very warm day, temperatures above freezing. Active wind loading all day on the ridges, but calm to light wind where we were traveling in the lower elevations.
Snow surface
The surface at the parking lot had some wet snow (melt forms) on the surface (1,200'), but by about 1,400' the surface was dry.
Snowpack
We dug a pit at 2,200' on a NW aspect right next to the flank of the avalanche and found the January facet layer about a foot below the surface. It was very weak and well-developed. We got the following test results indicating poor stability, all failing on the January facet layer: CT13 SC, ECTP12, and PST 30/100 END. Our results also included a CT7 RP that failed closer to the surface at 13cm down on a hardness change.
Wind loading on John Mountain 2.14.2024
Snow Pilot image of the snowpack at John Mountain at 2,200' on 2.14.2024