Avalanche: Hatcher Pass

Location: Rae Wallace

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

Great sunny day. Cold AF in the shadows, pleasant in the sun. Did a few laps on RW Chutes & one on SW Marmot face. No red flags observed, other than a likely human triggered cornice fall. A dense layer is present in new snow @ top of snowpack, with 2″ light pow on top.

Avalanche Details
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Trigger CorniceRemote Trigger Yes
Avalanche Type Dry Loose SnowAspect North Northwest
Elevation 4000ftSlope Angle 50deg
Crown Depth 3inWidth 30ft
Vertical Run 800ft  
Avalanche Details

An overhung cornice fell into the chute 1 chute east of north-facing Rae Wallace zipper skin track. Possible human trigger, but can't confirm - from the bottom, people were seen peeking over the edge shortly after the cornice fell. The debris entrained a lot of dry loose snow on its way down. Probably enough to bury a person. Looking from the top, we could not see a distinct crown line on the slope. But we could see deep gouges in the snow pack from cornice pieces. Debris stopped well down the apron which would be the typical stopping area for parties skiing these chutes. No red flags observed other than the cornice fall. Othereise, there were approx 30+ tracks laid down on the Rae Wallace chutes without incident, as far as what was observed.

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