This morning I set out to do a short low risk, solo backcountry tour. Because I was alone and the avalanche forecast was “considerable” I decided to stick to very familiar low angle treed terrain. I headed up Days Fork and planned to ski a couple laps in the Doughnut Falls area and then exit down the gully that sits half way between Lucky Days and the typical skin track up to the ridge. I wasn’t able to start until almost 10:30 and it was warmer than expected on the way up. Even at higher elevations and in the shade, the snow was quite warm and sticky. On the Doughnut Falls side of the ridge, the snow was better, but deteriorated quickly. I decided it wasn’t worth a second lap. I had felt several small collapses on the way up to the ridge and despite several reports of stable conditions in steeper terrain, I decided to be extra conservative and ski down barely south of the Lucky skin track sticking to a familiar low angle line in the trees. I double checked the WBSkiing app and confirmed that my line would never go over 30 degrees.

Given my route selection, I all but dismissed avalanche concerns on my way out. I was much more concerned with the spots of heavy and sticky snow which made turns a bit harder and less fun. I really did not think I was remotely in any danger of being caught in a slide.

There’s a very small clearing with a short slope that is around 35 degrees. If you had asked me previously, I would have said it was too small and not steep enough to slide (location: 40.6287° N, -111.6433° W, elevation of about 8,570 ft with ENE aspect). As I came into the clearing the slab broke loose above and around me, but I did not immediately realize what was happening. The slab did not fracture right away and it was relatively slow moving at first, so the initial feeling was one of disorientation. As I looked over my shoulder I could see what was happening. About that time the slab began to fracture, pick up speed, and knocked me over. I was oriented with my feet downhill and was on top of the slab, but picking up speed and headed toward the trunk of a large pine tree. I decided my best bet was to get my skis perpendicular to the fall line and try to absorb the impact of the tree with my legs. That largely worked, but the impact was sufficient to pop my skis off. I was able to hold on to the tree long enough for most of the snow from above to pass, but it eventually knocked me loose and carried me a few more feet.

The crown was about 2’ with a width of around 50’. I was only carried for about 40 feet and the bottom of the debris pile was about 200 feet from the crown, so not a large slide by any means. The layer of faceted snow that this slid on was inches deep, not just a thin layer, and it was pure sugar. My skis and poles were buried in 4 different spots but all were within 30 feet of where I came to a stop. I wasn’t injured and my equipment all seemed fine. After getting my stuff together and taking a few photos, I made my way down the rest of the way.

Lessons learned: