Having skied Red Baldy on Friday at about noon, my perspective is that the slope started loading heavily Friday afternoon when the wind picked up late afternoon. Loading was minor throughout the morning and not a major concern. It had not slid by about 4.00 PM when we left White Pine. When we skinned/skied, the track generally consisted o f 6 to 8" of snow on a hard bed surface with occasional punchy hollow areas (typical for Red Baldy). The slide took out a portion of the area we skinned up and skied on Friday, always a humbling experience to witness such a dynamic change in this short period of time. The upper portion of the run we skied on Friday (lookers left, the standard Red baldy 1st run) did not run but went from looking scoured to loaded in this time period. This is a repeater, much of this area ran earlier in the season My guess is that the slope loaded with windblown graupel and spindrift and overloaded the deep PWL below the rocks. There was not much of a cornice above the slope on Friday.

A lot of folk out today looking at the debris from a close up viewpoint, I assume more details will trickle in. My dimensions are a guess.

This is a great example of how conditions can change in a short period of time!

Photo: Larry Coats