Two avalanches occurred on this slope about 600 feet apart from each other. The dimensions above are for the avalanche on the lookers left of the slope. It is possible that one avalanche initiated and sympathetically triggered the other. The average depth of the crown was about four feet, with a maximum depth of 5 feet.

These avalanches most likely occurred on Wednesday 3/22 during the middle of a series of storms. The avalanche danger on 3/22 was rated HIGH. The snow started falling Sunday night into Monday 3/20 and by Wednesday the La Sals had received about 2 feet of snow and 2.6 - 3.0" of SWE. Extreme winds out of the SW blew 50-70 mph Tuesday night and Wednesday. This slope was heavily wind loaded. The avalanche failed on 1mm facets down about 1.5 meters. This avalanche is a good example of how strong winds can create unusual loading patterns in the mountains.

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