We investigated similar avalanches today and believe the culprit weak layer was buried surface hoar sitting on a melt layer recrystallization crust formed prior to March 4th storm.
Avalanche: Hatcher Pass
Location: Sydney Creek aka big bowl
Triggered large surface slide at around 4000 ft elevation northwest aspect. Was attempting to climb to the top of the ridge on my sled, I turned out near the top. And as soon as I got pointed down hill I watched the face propagate about 30 ft below me. The crown was 12”- 15” deep and the width was around 800 ft. I put the sled into a side hill to hopefully make it to the closest ridge. It propagated again within a second of the first release, this time directly below my sled. I was fortunate enough that the runout didn’t have a bunch of exposure and I was able to stay behind the slide a bit at first and get my bag deployed. Which was a lot more difficult then I thought. Because you have to let go of the sled with one hand, definitely something to keep in mind. I ended up getting caught up into the slide, hit multiple rocks and went completely airborne several times blind in the chaos of the slide. I somehow was able to hang onto my sled and ride out of it. Lucky to be alive, incredibly humbling and terrifying experience.
Forecaster Comments
| Trigger | Snowmachiner | Remote Trigger | No |
| Avalanche Type | Soft Slab | Aspect | North Northwest |
| Elevation | 4000ft | Slope Angle | 40deg |
| Crown Depth | 12in | Width | 700ft |
| Vertical Run | 2000ft |
Near Miss / Accident Details
| Number Caught/Carried? | 1 | Number Partially Buried? | 0 |
| Number Fully Buried? | 0 | Number Injured? | 0 |
| Number Fatalities? | 0 |
Avalanche Details
Triggered large surface slide at around 4000 ft elevation northwest aspect. Was attempting to climb to the top of the ridge on my sled, I turned out near the top. And as soon as I got pointed down hill I watched the face propagate about 30 ft below me. The crown was 12”- 15” deep and the width was around 800 ft. I put the sled into a side hill to hopefully make it to the closest ridge. It propagated again within a second of the first release, this time directly below my sled. I was fortunate enough that the runout didn’t have a bunch of exposure and I was able to stay behind the slide a bit at first and get my bag deployed. Which was a lot more difficult then I thought. Because you have to let go of the sled with one hand, definitely something to keep in mind. I ended up getting caught up into the slide, hit multiple rocks and went completely airborne several times blind in the chaos of the slide. I somehow was able to hang onto my sled and ride out of it. Lucky to be alive, incredibly humbling and terrifying experience.
Ben Reynolds photo
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My track coming out of the slide at the bottom,
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