Derek DeBruin, Ben Bauter

Ogden » Ben Lomond » Cutler Ridge

Ben Lomond, Cutler Ridge, Birthday Bowls

6,800'

Northeast

Unknown

Skier

Remotely Triggered

18"

80'

150'

We elected to exit via the Birthday Bowls, seeking potentially sheltered terrain at the lower elevation. We skied the ridge north between the left bowl and the Cutler Creek drainage to assess the snowpack. While skiing the ridge, the second rider remotely triggered an avalanche just right/east of the track, releasing the upper portion of the left bowl. The crown was perhaps 80 to 100 feet wide and ran 150 to 200 feet. It likely would not have buried a person, but certainly would have wrecked somebody's day. The slab was between 30 and 60cm in depth. The slope angle was not measured but is between 30 and 35 degrees in that area. We did not head back up/over to check out the slab, but I imagine it was the same wind slab on top of storm snow interface as the other avalanches we observed today (12/27). Consequently, we skied the lower angle NNW facing terrain back to the Cutler Creek drainage (aka the "backyard") to exit. First photo: the slab, about halfway down the slide path. Second photo: the crown, from below the slide path.