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 a 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