close call in Quartz Creek - Feb 8

[Hangfire]

We were out riding in Quartz. Most of the zone is totally punched, but there was one face at the pack of the prairie hills headwall, lookers left side, that was untouched. We did not go out on to the face, but took a track around it and above it on the ridge well back from the slope. After turning around and coming back down we noticed that we had remote triggered a big avalanche.
It looks to have released on the dec 29 surface hoar layer.

There was a group of snowboarders that had already ridden the lookers right side of this area and told me they had tried to do a couple sled carve tests at the very top and got nothing to move.

No one was caught in the slide, although the group of boarders were hanging out fairly close to where the debris ended up.

After digging a bunch of pits and doing compression tests for the past month, i knew that layer was still alive and kicking. Regardless of what the bulletin says, the zone you are riding in can be a lot different.

see attached pics. Once is snows again, there will be 2 more fresh surface hoar layers that will be buried around Golden. If you don't know what this means you need to take an AST course.

[/IMG]

 

[LID]

I've been wanting to ski those lines forever. Was just waiting for someone else to sled test the roll-over.

wow!

 

[Pistonbroke]

That's a big mofo!

I knoe exactly what slope that is, I always stay away from it because I am worried about the rocks there, especially in skinny years.

Thanks for the pics dude!:d

 

[The Arborist]

After digging a bunch of pits and doing compression tests for the past month, i knew that layer was still alive and kicking. Regardless of what the bulletin says, the zone you are riding in can be a lot different.

see attached pics. Once is snows again, there will be 2 more fresh surface hoar layers that will be buried around Golden. If you don't know what this means you need to take an AST course.

Here's a pic from a couple of years back... before I took Hangfire's AST course!
I didn't intend on pulling that line, but I got pulled that way and then just went with it.

Very scary to look back, not to say that slope is always dangerous.
What I do know is I didn't have the knowledge I needed to assess the situation!!!

Take a course!!

 

[GasCan]

I dug a pit at quartz last month and posted similar info in the golden sticky thread about the lower level frost being of concern. On the 5th compression of an elbow test, the lower layer was the one that let go while the upper frost held. I was waiting to hear of a large slide like this where the lower layer broke and I'm sure there will be more of this to come, especially with more snow coming.

If you haven't taken a course yet people, not saying...just saying?

Thanks for this info guys. Glad nobody was in it!

 

[GasCan]

Tough to gauge from the pictures but looks like a size 3 to 4 in terms of scale. Thoughts Aaron?

 

[powpounder]

I have a pic from around 1997 of that hill letting go. looked like maybe the day before we were there.... since then I don't even go close to that slope. The slide was much bigger to. The snow carried more down the valley. Over the years people always tend to sit at the bottom and have there lunch break!!!!

 

[Shibby!]

I can't seem to place that hill..

If you go up from the cabin to the left, up the trail/open area to the dead end, is this the hill on the left? South/Southwest facing?

Here?

51.371673,-117.351537 - Google Maps


We were in Gorman last weekend on Sunday and the whole place was covered in frost. The radiated heat from the sun got most of the crystals in sunny areas, but I'd be nervous on shaded slopes, mostly North and north east slopes once we get more snow. The "storm snow" that was 5-10" thick was also poorly bonded to the crust underneith. Sluffing snow was happening everywhere.

 

[Taminator]

Nope, other way. Right from the cabin...saddle area. Back/left side of the back hill...

 

[shiznitt100]

shibby the left face of that (long slope) is where you boarded down a few times last year. that is the gulley just after you get through the trees from the cabin. if you stay on the top ridge you go out of bounds.

 

[JoHNI_T]

shibby the left face of that (long slope) is where you boarded down a few times last year. that is the gulley just after you get through the trees from the cabin. if you stay on the top ridge you go out of bounds.

lots of snow up on that top ridge near the out of bounds.... nom nom


that hill is sketctchy at anytime,,, it screams most dangers,,,, and the cornice that forms to the right usually keeps most peeps away, but up top to the left nom nom nom



thanks for the info

 

[Summit X]

awesome pics guys. thanks for info.

i was warned of that slope my first day ever to quartz and so i always try to stay away. i have gone up the left (there is a sweet cornice drop over there!!) and rode the ridge as well, but never straight up that face.

 

[Shibby!]

Nope, other way. Right from the cabin...saddle area. Back/left side of the back hill...

Just trying to get my info right and compare it to Colin (Shiznit1000) below.

The slope I snowboard down sometime is pictured below here. That link above is posting what sounds to be the hill from his description.

Mind letting me know which slope you think it is?

51.366047,-117.337461 - Google Maps


Not that it matters much as the snow set-up is represented by that entire area and another slope isn't considered "safe", but its just bugging me that I can't place it. I have yet to be at Quartz on a clear day.

The slope that Shiznit was talking about is when you either go to the right, and you can cut up the slope to the left to get to a common area where you can otherwise meet by going left of the cabin, into the meadow through the shoot up into the trees and up the steep short climb. Once up there you can go right on another climb (which I think is the top of that hill pictured), or go left and play up a smaller valley with a small hill and cornice area. From there you keep going left and you can get to the top of the hill where it eventually runs to the out of bounds limits. If you go left (facing east now) you go down to the meadow valley, if you go right, you aren't coming back, and if you turn around you are looking down what I believe is the ridgeline to the left of this picture.

Confirm?

 

[Pistonbroke]

Your google map marker looks right to me dude.

 

[Taminator]

Just trying to get my info right and compare it to Colin (Shiznit1000) below.

The slope I snowboard down sometime is pictured below here. That link above is posting what sounds to be the hill from his description.

Mind letting me know which slope you think it is?

51.366047,-117.337461 - Google Maps


Not that it matters much as the snow set-up is represented by that entire area and another slope isn't considered "safe", but its just bugging me that I can't place it. I have yet to be at Quartz on a clear day.

The slope that Shiznit was talking about is when you either go to the right, and you can cut up the slope to the left to get to a common area where you can otherwise meet by going left of the cabin, into the meadow through the shoot up into the trees and up the steep short climb. Once up there you can go right on another climb (which I think is the top of that hill pictured), or go left and play up a smaller valley with a small hill and cornice area. From there you keep going left and you can get to the top of the hill where it eventually runs to the out of bounds limits. If you go left (facing east now) you go down to the meadow valley, if you go right, you aren't coming back, and if you turn around you are looking down what I believe is the ridgeline to the left of this picture.

Confirm?

I confirm...I think...LOL. Yup, the google mark looks correct. You can get up to that area from the 'back' way not shown in the pic, but you end up up top to the left of the first pic...the third pic from hangfire is taken in that upper area looking West. Lots of peeps play up in that area and to the right. If you were to turn to the right/North from hangfire's first pic, you would see the pooh stain heading to area 51...

If you went right at the cabin, and stayed right...and kept going...you would end up at the bottom of this hill and you'd be looking at going left/south and up the shoot to the top of this area in pic, or you would hang a right/north and head up further and eventually up the pooh stain (or into park area)

You should be able to tell better from the pic hubby (arborist) posted, that's taken from near the pooh stain/park area looking South towards this slope.

 

[P_ZIZZ]

Thats a bad slide!! I have been riding there for almmost 6 years and never herd of that face sliding. We were climbing it in dec this year. Scary to think thats how easy it is to mess up!!! I will be staying clear of that one next time for sure!! Thanks all for the info!

 

[Shibby!]

Thats a bad slide!! I have been riding there for almmost 6 years and never herd of that face sliding. We were climbing it in dec this year. Scary to think thats how easy it is to mess up!!! I will be staying clear of that one next time for sure!! Thanks all for the info!

Keep in mind it's not one hill in particular. Conditions can vary a lot in a short distance.

I've been hearing that a lot this year. People staying away from one hill because they've seen it slide or seen the aftermath of slides on particular hills in the past, yet feel safe to play on the one beside it or another aspect near by. Every aspect of a hill is subjected to various conditions that can make it more vulnerable or stable then the next at a certain time. Year to year has less relevance to ability to slide. That being said this particular hill has rock structure that does increase it's likelihood of producing a slide.

Just this weekend in Fernie I was seeing large cracks forming while side hilling very low angle inclines (small slopes of the rolling hills). While digging a snow pit on another slope we did measure weak layers. Compression test was pretty good and the snow seemed to be set-up reasonably well underneath, however the top storm snow was setting up and would slide easily. Later that day we seen some south/south east slopes that slid within the last two days. Not massive avalanches, but maybe 20-30 meters wide and 10-15 cm deep. Running for maybe 30-50 meters. In this case the main worry would be those slides causing step-downs to persistent layers approx 40-60 cm down.

Sorry for the blabbling, but I shake my head when I hear people say I've seen that slope slide I won't climb that one, and then see them climb the hill beside.

Ride safe!

 

[Zacs]

Thanks to Hangfire for starting this post! Great photos.

Ditto what Shibby said in the last post.

While there are certain slopes that are 'frequent fliers', avalanches are mostly related to the 'blueprint in the snow'. Each year the weather, or the architect, creates a new design.
What a rider wants to do is learn about how weather creates or affects layers in the snow and then lay this understanding onto the terrain. Depending on the blueprint, slopes that you have never heard of sliding may be ready to go. Weather is variable. This is what leads to avalanches ripping out new paths every so often. Take a slope that typically only avalanches part path. One day it might have a certain combination of snow and weak layers that gives it the ingredients to carve out a new swath. Not typical, but predictable to those watching the layers build up in the snowpack.

This slope had the right combination to pile a few trees on the groomed trail. In the life of this trail, statistically a rare event, however in when looking at the snowpack weaknesses on this spring day it was likely a very predictable event.

Always be aware of the weather during the time periods between the snowfalls. Once the new snow arrives and starts to set up, investigate how well it is bonding (sticking) to the old layer.
Some weather conditions create great adhesion in the snow...and other layers, like frost or surface hoar, can be persistently weak and lead to unstable snow for many weeks.

This is a frost layer that formed on the surface of the snow ~January 24, 2010 BTL (below tree line) south of Valemount, BC.

Frost can take on many shapes but often looks like a feather or a wedge. Very two dimensional and striated (built in layers or striped).

For anyone interested in reading more about persistent weak layers like surface hoar or facets
It is an old post but it includes a couple short video clips and a detailed report issued by Karl Klassen, Canadian Avalanche Centre Forecaster.

 

[GasCan]

Great pictures of the recent frost Lori. That's for that input!

 

[Modman]

Shibby, I think your marker is too far southeast, I have attached a corrected link with where I think it is. If you look in the attached photo you can see the upper bowl and where the slide is located on the map in relation to the upper bowl (your spot would have put it on the very very left edge of the photo). The upper bowl can also be seen in the photo.

The area in the link you attached is closer to cabin valley from what I can see, on the dimpled part of the plateau above cabin valley, the slide happened on the left side, right at the end of the right hand valley.

51.3691,-117.359- Google Maps

Let me know if I'm off.