Solo skier descending a northwest aspect triggered a slide which broke 200 feet above him. He was able to hang onto a tree while the debris flushed passed him but lost his grip toward the tail end of it. He was drug downhill 20 feet or so and hit some trees. He sustained minor bumps and bruises and lost one ski pole.
It is interesting to note that he is a very experienced backcountry traveler and has a wealth of avalanche knowledge. He readily admits that he shouldn't have been there and he knew better but for some reason still chose to descend the slope. This was close to the second fatality of the year.
An avalanche forecaster is currently visiting the site and we'll have photos posted tonight.
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Wow... what a crazy deal this was. Pioneer Ridge was the epicenter of human triggered avalanches this weekend. As I was headed back towards Brighton after looking at yesterday's human triggered avalanche in Martha Bowl, this slide caught the corner of my eye. My partner and I didn't see any exit tracks and we immediately notified Brighton Patrol while constructing a rescue plan. Fortunately, while this was unfolding we were notified that all was OK and the skier was down and clear. This was an extremely close call and I wish the skier a speedy recovery!
The avalanche had similar characteristics to what we saw in Martha Bowl- Slab failed on weak facets, running on the October MF crust.
