“What were your immediate thoughts when you realized the avalanche was so big?”
That’s a question I heard a lot yesterday.
A 25 lb explosive charge set off this avalanche on the Throne and demolished Chair 6 at Crystal.
On Monday I was on the avalanche control team that demolished the High Campbell Chairlift (aka Chair 6). We knew there was a potential for a big slide. Other slopes had slid to the ground in the past 24 hours. The skier’s right side of Powder Bowl had produced a full-depth avalanche and left a 10 foot crown. The Employee Housing slide path produced another big one. The snowpack was saturated with 6 inches of rain. A weak depth hoar layer still lurked at the ground.
The right skid of Powder Bowl slid to the ground Monday morning before the slopes opened.
But we didn’t know it was going to go this big.
Sure, we evacuated the chair. We lowered our 25 lb. explosive well after hours. We worried that our results could be big. But I never thought we’d destroy the lift.
The bottom terminal was knocked off the bull wheel. The lift shack was demolished.
Talking to the old time patrollers who managed these slopes decades ago, nothing of this size has ever slid before. Maybe back in the pre-Crystal, pre-skier-compacted days this kind of thing happened. But not since Crystal has operated at a ski area.
So what did it feel like to let loose such a big slide?
Scary.
Seeing a big avalanche up close is an awesome thing. There’s nothing like it. As soon as the shot went off, my route partners and I ( we were a team of three women that my husband now calls the Three Shivas) knew it was big. We approached the ridge and looked down. The avalanche was just separating from the slope and noisily tearing down the mountain. At first all I heard was a low whoosh. Then a deep rumble. Next I heard the terrible sound of trees snapping. Finally I heard the sound of twisting metal.
Checking out the Avalanche Moments after we started it.
The visibility was poor so we only had the noise to go on. And it was horrifying.
The Three Shiva Destroyers: Megan, Kim, and Michelle.
Outside of our boundaries large natural avalanches have been happening. When we decided to use explosives on The Throne, we all knew the consequences. But it was much better to destroy a lift when it was closed than to risk an avalanche when it was opened and occupied. We didn’t have a choice. Upper management knew the risk too, and my husband was all in. We had to do this thing.
As I mentioned in an earlier post this week, watching an avalanche is awesome, in the sense of massive and awe-inspiring. Seeing the aftermath yesterday with our first clear skies in weeks was horrifying.
Throne Avalanche seen from the Heli
All day yesterday we continued to test the slopes with large explosives. We dropped charges from a helicopter and hung them on trams. But we got virtually no results. Does that mean the slopes are now safe?
It means I slept better last night. The snowpack is adjusting to its load. We aren’t out of the woods yet. If we get a big rain event, this could happen again.
Throne Avalanche aerial view.
We are contracting our terrain at Crystal. What is open has been deemed safe. Don’t duck any ropes and respect all closures. Now isn’t the time for backcountry skiing either. Let’s remember who’s calling the shots here, it’s Mother Nature.
Here’s some footage of the Throne avalanche and it’s aftermath. This video is courtesy of patroller Andy Harrington.