Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Avalanche Occurrence

General Information

This large avalanche was triggered by riders in the Pole Creek drainage on Saturday, 2/25/23. It failed on a wind-loaded E/NE-facing slope at 9,800'. It appears to have stepped down to a deeper weak layer in the bottom right corner of the photo.

Observer:
SAC Forecaster

Verified by SAC?
Yes

Occurrence Date:
Feb 25, 2023 (Exact)

Location:
Pole Creek

Comments:

Avalanche was triggered on the slope from well below the crown, although the rider appeared to be on the slab that failed when they triggered it.

Avalanche Characteristics

# of Avys:
1
Aspect:
E (E,NE)
Start Zone Elev:
9800ft
Size:
D2
Type:
SS-Soft Slab
Trigger:
AM-Snowmobile
u-Unintentional
Depth:
2ft
Width:
100ft
Comments:

Unknown weak layer involvement. Avalanche broke a reported 2 feet deep. The slide pulled out a couple deeper pockets in the track.

Media

This large avalanche was triggered by riders in the Pole Creek drainage on Saturday, 2/25/23. It failed on a wind-loaded E/NE-facing slope at 9,800'. It appears to have stepped down to a deeper weak layer in the bottom right corner of the photo.
This large avalanche was triggered by riders in the Pole Creek drainage on Saturday, 2/25/23. It failed on a wind-loaded E/NE-facing slope at 9,800'. It appears to have stepped down to a deeper weak layer in the bottom right corner of the photo.