3-5-06, Providence Peak

(3-Nubs)

Tracks in and tracks out tell the story of a snowmobiler-triggered hard slab or wind-drift avalanche on Providence Peak. No one reported this avalanche.

If you're going to jump onto a steep wind-drifted slope, you better have your ducks in a row and the proper avalanche equipment.

The majority of riders I met in Providence Canyon on 3-5-06 didn't carry beacons, shovels or probes.  What if you find yourself in this situation?

My backpack next to a pencil-hard chunk of slab shows the scale of the impressive debris pile.

The avalanche on a northeast facing slope at around 9400' in elevation ran around 700 vertical feet down into the flats.

Barely visible under the huge cornice, the drifted-in hard slab crown is 100-150' wide and 1-2' deep.  The wind-drifted slope is steeper than 40 degrees.

I found two obvious weak layers on a similar slope.  The avalanche probably included both, stepping down to facets below a pencil-hard slab layer. 

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry, we want to know about it. The information you provide could save lives, and we keep all identities confidential.  Please send us an e-mail to uaclogan@avalanche.org or call 755-3638 and leave us a message.