Large explosive triggered slide at Y.C.

Yellowstone Club
Northern Madison
Code
HS-ABc-R4-D3-G
Elevation
8400
Aspect
NE
Latitude
45.23510
Longitude
-111.44800
Notes

From YCSP: "Today the YC Ski Patrol conducted avalanche mitigation work above one of our roads. The area is outside of our ski area boundary and receives no skier traffic. A 2lb explosives charge was detonated from an aerial tram and triggered a R4/D3 avalanche that ran to the ground on depth hoar. The crown was 4', The max path width was around 250', and it ran 350 vertical feet to the bottom of the runout zone. The elevation was 8400' on a ENE aspect and max slope angle of 36 degrees. Two sections of road, which were controlled for traffic, were buried with an estimated 15-20 feet deep deposition pile. We’ve seen this path go big in the Spring, but we can’t recall it ever going quite this big."

Number of slides
1
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Avalanche Type
Hard slab avalanche
Trigger
An explosive detonated above the snow surface (air blast)
Trigger Modifier
c-A controlled or intentional release by the indicated trigger
R size
4
D size
3
Bed Surface
G - Ground
Problem Type
Deep Persistent Slab
Slab Thickness
48.0 inches
Vertical Fall
350ft
Slab Width
250.00ft
Weak Layer Grain type
Depth Hoar
Slab Thickness units
inches
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Single Avalanche
Advisory Year