On Wed, 8 Mar 2006 16:54:12 -0800, Denis Bogan <[log in to unmask]> 
wrote:

>Scott,
>
>Beautiful pictures and stories.  You clearly have a great love of the
>winter mountains and an ability to convey it to others.  But some of the
>things you say scare me, although I am by no means an avy expert.  None of
>the usual cast of characters has stepped up to caution you, so I'll do it.

Thanks, Denis.  Its something that is on my mind occasionally when we are 
up there.  We've set some large sloughs/minor slides with clear fracture 
lines up there.  I know it doesn't take much to bury you, but I honestly 
just can't picture it with the volumn of snow was are talking about.  
However, they are usually enough snow to push you somewhere you might not 
want to go, or lose control on steep, exposed terrain.  I've heard of 
Hourglass breaking at the top and running through the crux which would not 
be a fun ride after a fresh storm with lots of wind loading.  

The little slab we came across, seen here, just made me more curious of 
the possibilities up there.  You can see some small debris pile with a 
traverse running through the bottom of it...and where this ran it went 
through two thin lines of pines and over a small drop down to where the 
traverse goes through.  Not enough to bury you, but I was thinking (this 
will make some of your cringe) about trying to edge my way out to set off 
the second fracture that was forming above...but decided against it after 
taking a closer look at the possibilities of injury.  I didn't want to 
be "that kid."

http://tinyurl.com/rf2bh

>"We found a slab avalanche large enough to take you down through two lines
>
>of trees and over a small drop.  It was at the bottom of a little area
>that you could potentially drop into on your way to the traverse around
>the Adams Apple to Hellbrook.  Crown was around 18" with a second fracture
>
>line beginning to form.  Very interesting.  Wouldn't be enough to bury
>you, but a nice quick 100 foot slide through dwarf, stabby, pines and a
>small rock band wouldn't have been fun.  I could see a broken leg or
>something...
>
>http://tinyurl.com/o97xx "
>
>It doesn't take a very big avalanche to kill you.  Most slides run less
>than 150'.  An 18" crown is not trivial.  For one thing it means slab
>avalanche and they are inherently more dangerous that loose snow slides.
>
>Check out this video.
>http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=19995
>
>This crown in this one was perhaps twice 18", but the slide was
>impressive.  The skier was very lucky to escape unharmed.  

That is an impressive amount of snow for such a sort ride.  After a storm 
and wind loading off the ridge, it would be easy for something that size 
to break off a rain crust, especially this winter.  

>People often
>discount the threat of avalanches in the east, but the above tree line
>slopes such as the Presidentials and Mansfield's Chin have plenty and
>deserve as much respect as anyplace in the west.  Jim B and I once saw a
>slide on the Nose while skinning the Toll Rd. enroute to Teardrop.  Even
>below treeline they can happen, for example last year's Meathead Films
>tragedy somewhere near the lower reaches of Hellbrook.  (Sorry but I
>forgot the young man's name.)

Alex Stall.  But without getting into the ordeal as I am certainly not an 
expert, I thought it was resolved that it was his slough that pushed him 
over the edge...I guess it really doesn't matter, however, as it is a mass 
of moving snow that is controlling you as opposed to the opposite.  
Haven't heard many true avalanche problems on Mansfield (maybe in the 
notch?)...anyone got any information/accounts of stuff sliding?  March 
2001?

-Scott

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