Avalanche on Judah

Location Name: 
East Side of Mt Judah
Region: 
Donner Summit Area
Date and time of avalanche (best estimate if unknown): 
Thu, 12/31/2009 - 00:00


Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Observation made by: Public
Avalanche Observations
Avalanche Type: 
slab,
Slope: 
35degrees
Trigger type: 
Skier
Crown Height: 
1 ft
Aspect: 
Northeast
Avalanche Width: 
30ft.
Terrain: 
Below Treeline
Elevation: 
8 100ft.
Bed Surface: 
Old Snow
Avalanche Length: 
75ft.
More detailed information about the avalanche: 

Me and  a partner were skiing off of the back side of Mt. Judah, about midway between the two summits. We had decended maybe 100' down from the ridge along the trees. I skied a somewhat narrow northeast facing pitch that was about 35 degrees and uncovered a couple of rocks. The snow was deep, and very heavy and slabby. My partner followed and on one of his first turns on the pitch triggered a small slide, but easily skied out of it. The slide seemed to be triggered near a rock. The crown was probably 1.5 feet high, 30 feet long, and the runout was maybe 75 feet and it moved pretty slow. We had not noticed any other slides or obvious signs of snow instability in the area, other than the top layer being very heavy.

Avalanche Photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
East
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: