Yule Pass Avalanche

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 11/20/2016
Name: Dustin Eldridge
Subject: Yule Pass Avalanche
Aspect: North, North East
Elevation: 11,500-12,500

Avalanches: Touring out Yule Pass I stepped below the trail on a test slope and saw a shooting crack run out from my ski tip. The slide propagated around 25-30 meters, from a due north slope to a more NE facing slope. The slope angle in the starting zone was not that steep, maybe even sub 35 degrees. I apologize for not getting a measurement of this. Crown was around a meter deep, and was not as shear on the more East facing part. Likely encountered a crust lower down the slowed the propagation that was not present on the North facing part. HS-AS-R2-D2-O.
Weather: Breezy and relatively warm, warming throughout day. Winds also picked up out of NW later in the day and we witnessed snow transport down valley.
Snowpack: Variable. Some areas blown clean by the wind in the last storm with some areas containing around a meter of snow. Hard wind slabs on top of crust/facet combos on more Easterly aspects and more faceted snow in the base of the pack on more Northerly aspects. Heard a lot of whumpfs throughout the day.


Yule Pass Avalanche. Click to enlarge

Yule Pass Avalanche. Click to enlarge