Wind slab avalanche on Donner peak

Highly variable snow conditions were observed in the Donner area today, with wet, heavy snow on all solar aspects and wind affected snow on wind-exposed areas. Small to medium wind slabs were obvious in loaded areas and sastrugi/wind affected snow in the more wind-scoured areas. The team was able to observe this fresh wind loading on a sizable convex roll feature (see photo), and chose to ski around it to the skier's right, in lower-angle terrain away from the obvious slab. The first skier (the group's ski guide) triggered the slide a couple of turns into the slope, from the very edge of the path (above and left of the tree on the lookers left of the slide, see photo), and it propagated westward across the slope and slid to the flats. The avalanche was ~150' wide and 200' long, the crown averaged 6-10" and neared 2' in the most loaded areas, and debris was several feet deep in places. The guide was not caught or carried, as he was careful to avoid the steeper, loaded terrain to the skiers left. This is a great example of how important terrain choice is when managing avalanche hazard.