Skier Triggered Avalanche Mt. Ellis

Mt Ellis
Northern Gallatin
Code
SS-ASu-R2-D2-O
Elevation
7500
Aspect
NE
Latitude
45.58290
Longitude
-110.95400
Notes

Skiers triggered this avalanche in dense trees while ascending Mt. Ellis. From the email: "While subsequently skiing up through dense trees climbing to the north to attempt to reach the mid section of the going-home chute, a medium-size bowl-shaped opening in the trees released a soft slab just as we were entering the opening. The crown was ~24” deep and ~80-100’ across. Total snow depth in that area was less than three feet. The avalanche ran probably 500 vertical feet down a shallow gully. Neither my partner nor I where caught but way too close for comfort."

Number of slides
1
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Number killed
0
Avalanche Type
Soft slab avalanche
Trigger
Skier
Trigger Modifier
u-An unintentional release
R size
2
D size
2
Bed Surface
O - Old snow
Problem Type
Persistent Weak Layer
Slab Thickness
24.0 inches
Vertical Fall
500ft
Slab Width
100.00ft
Slab Thickness units
inches
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Single Avalanche
Advisory Year