Colorado Vail Pass Black Lakes Ridge is good

[Kai]

February 19

Skied Black Lakes Ridge, North and North East facing runs below the antenna array today. Snow was terrific, powder to the tops of our boots. Light, very fun. Sun was out, but it was cold enough that the snow stayed good all day. If you're looking for someplace to go with easy access and decent snow in the next day or so, you might try it.


I was on my Lotus 138's. It didn't suck.

[MakersTeleMark]

From CAIC:

Two fresh avalanches to report, both only involved the storm snow. The first, occurred above Black Lakes near Vail Pass. A skier triggered steep soft slab on a NNE aspect. The second was a larger natural soft slab on a NE aspect above treeline occurring near the divide and Loveland Pass.

[montanaskier]

read the same thing, was that you Kai?

[Kai]

Yep. Was us.

Small slide, to skier's right of where we were skiing. Pretty steep slope as far as slides go (my inclinometer read 43 degrees at the point of propogation.)




Those are our tracks in the picture to the side of where the slide ran. Nobody caught, nobody was in the slide zone. Where we were skiing was lower angle (but probably closer to the typical slide angle.)

Crown was about 12-14 inches deep, ran about 90 feet. Maybe 60 feet wide. Soft slab. We triggered it from the side. Nobody was on it or above it.

[Vicious]

That spot always slides.

[montanaskier]

yep, i kicked off something small on that same spot last year.

[CG]

I was up there about a month ago, a guy in my group kicked off a small slide, went for a ride, ended up OK. Aspect angle relay played a roll in what was safe and not.

[Blurred]

Every year there's some new idiot talking about slides there. (of course after spewing about the area)

IT ALWAYS SLIDES THERE. ALWAYS.

On another note, I've been thinking about triggering them on purpose there for a while, just cuz you can, and it would be good experience.

Flame on.

[H0G]

Flame on.

don't forget to wear your airbag vest

[Blurred]

don't forget to wear your airbag vest

Oh yeah.

Been honestly thinking of several ways to keep it safe.

Obviously beacon, airbag pack, avalung, large crew of people I can trust are all
considerations.....

There are other things though like powder cord typish long leashes, or even an airball with a cord to it in case of burial.
You're not going to die of trauma there, so even setting slides off wearing an O2 tank incorporated into an avalung would keep you fine until they dug you out if needed. Also, a zipline installed in the trees up above connected to you would make locating you in seconds a snap.

It would all be great for avalanche education, and could be safer than the drive to the area.

However, if I posted this in Slide Zone, it would go to ten pages with every "Safety Bob" know-it-all telling me how dangerous it is.

Sad how people can't think in realistic terms.

[RoanMtnMan]

I heard about this slide from Michelle. It sounded bigger. I am glad everyone was safe.