Soldier Fork Avalanche1/11/2024
Today we traveled up Mill D North to Dog Lake then on into Butler Fork to Soldiers Fork and the Nipple. Been waiting for the tipping point of the snowpack and found it today. While traveling up the trail to Dog Lake I walked up one of my favorite test slopes in the area, a NE facing slope that is wind protected. A few steps off the main track I was able to get the slope to collapse and shooting cracks appeared. We continued on to Dog Lake where the skin track ended and we started breaking trail into Butler Fork. By the time we reached the base of the Nipple, we had experienced multiple collapses. We started walking up the ridge that separates Soldier Fork and the Nipple. Aout 30ft later we felt a large collapse, watched the bushes around us shake and then saw the whole face of Soldier Fork N facing avalanche wall to wall. The crown was around 600ft wide and 4ft deep at the deepest. The avalanche ran on the PWL formed during the dry spell through most of December. We remotely triggered the slide from over 200ft away from the flat ridge. After inspecting and documenting the avalanche we continued on to the Nipple.
I’ve always been under the impression that this slope never slides due to its low angle. However, about 3 turns in I felt a large collapse and watched shooting cracks propagate under my skis. I hung a hard left into even lower angle terrain but the slope didn’t release. On our next run we took a closer look, the slope had fractured deep, down to the PWL in multiple spots but did not slide due to its low angle. The time has come to back way off, stay away and out from under avalanche terrain and let nature do its thing. I’m pretty sure that we are in for a large natural avalanche cycle if the next few days forecast is on point. Don’t get me wrong, it’s already super sketchy right now, but with more weight everything that is steep enough to avalanche has a good chance of coming unglued naturally.
3 Comments
Tim AZ
1/11/2024 06:56:12 pm
Thanks for the OBS Mark. I like nipples.
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Cody Hughes
1/11/2024 07:59:09 pm
Always love reading your posts brother 🤛
Reply
Cawley
1/11/2024 09:22:06 pm
So did it leave some weak snow on the ground you think?
Reply
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January 2024
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