[PHOTOS] 2 Skiers Carried and Partly Buried by Avalanche in Alberta Backcountry - SnowBrains

"Group of 3 riders approaching top of N, alpine slope below headwall when 1st person triggered pocket of windslab out of shallow, rocky terrain. The avalanche occured at 2550m on 32-35deg SZ scrubbing to ground(suspect facets above ground). The first two riders were caught in avalanche with 1st person being swept 75m and was able to move out of path. The second rider was caught for 5m and rode out. No serious injury."

"The wind slab avalanche occurred at around 7:15 p.m. and was triggered accidentally by a skier. The slide, measuring approximately 20 inches (50 centimeters) thick and 100 feet (30 meters) wide, ran down a 32-degree north-facing alpine slope from 8,366 feet to 7,381 feet (2,550 meters to 2,250 meters) elevation. The avalanche, which occurred on shallow snow with underlying facets and a crust layer, covered 100 feet (30 meters) of runout without trapping or seriously injuring the two skiers involved."

An avalanche occurred near the top of the north alpine slope below the headwall of Pocaterra Ridge at Highwood Pass, Kananaskis Country, at about 2,550 metres elevation. A group of three skiers approached when the first skier triggered a pocket of wind slab on shallow, rocky terrain. The slide ran on a 32–35° north-facing slope, about 50 cm thick and 30 m wide, suspected to have basal facets above the ground and a crust beneath. The first skier was swept roughly 75 m and escaped the path; the second was carried about 5 m and rode out. No one was fully buried or seriously injured; runout covered about 30 m.

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