"It was like claws of snow running towards me and not being able to move"...
Me after surviving my first avalanche experience.
My friend and I took to Anvil mountain in Silverton, CO with the excitement reserved for crack addicts on the binge. It was snowing! My powder experience from the day before was only adding to the potential soft, pillowy goodness waiting for us - I just knew it would be good! We kept talking about how much fun the fresh powder would be as we strapped on our skins. The idea of deep face shots was all I could think of.
We started our backcountry ski trip up the far East ridge of Anvil mountain. The hike is normally pretty hard and steep! However, the falling snow covered any icy spots, so we made great time!
The top of our first shot, where our first descent would be, was called the banana chute. This north-facing tree line is a very popular descent. We took no chances and dug a good pit and tested the snow. Saying the snow was bomb-proof would be an understatement. Except for the top layer of freshly falling snow, it was like concrete. We felt safe and took to the hill as though we were jumping from piles of goose feathers. The snow was incredible soft and VERY FUN! After our first descent, it was time to break trail and head over the next ridge to a massive bowl with even more powder options!
The hike up to the top was difficult to say the least. The new snow was light, but there was lots of it! We finally made our way to a safe ridge line and took in the magnificent bowl. Ahhh, there would be nothing so beautiful that day! Fresh and untouched powder EVERYWHERE!!!
The turns here were awesome!
At the bottom of our third lap, we decided, just one more go! We hiked up slowly. We had already covered 3500 feet of elevation gain and our legs were beginning to BURN! When I made it to the top of the climb, the winds hit my face like beating drums. Immediately, I felt a concern rush over me. I looked down at my friend who was about 30 feet below me - not far at all. He was making his way up the skin track. The winds picked up once more. Again, the concern flushed my face. Added to the noise of the wind was a strange rumbling sound. I had never heard this before on Anvil peak (11550 feet, to be exact). I looked up to the check out the ridge and that's when I saw it! It was like claws of snow were running towards me and I could do nothing! It was an avalanche! I yelled for my friend to get down. With the amount of snow coming my way, my instincts took over. Immediately, I braced for the impact. With the visibility so poor, I had no idea what was coming my way. The snow hit me and covered me. Then, a second wave came through and pushed me over. I began tumbling through the snow. In an instant it was over. My friend immediately began to check on me and I him.
To say we were lucky is an understatement! After ducking in the trees and thinking about what just happened, we took a look to see how the rest of the bowl faired. Not only had our section run, but the entire bowl did! The crown, or top of the avalanche was roughly 5 - 8 feet high (hard to tell with the visibility so bad). The width of the avalanche was 300 - 400 feet. The length was a surprising 800 feet! That means it ran the entire bowl length. Had we been skiing at the time, you may have never seen words on this blog ever again!
Even though you can't tell much from the picture, folks I'm lucky!
Me after surviving my first avalanche experience.
My friend and I took to Anvil mountain in Silverton, CO with the excitement reserved for crack addicts on the binge. It was snowing! My powder experience from the day before was only adding to the potential soft, pillowy goodness waiting for us - I just knew it would be good! We kept talking about how much fun the fresh powder would be as we strapped on our skins. The idea of deep face shots was all I could think of.
We started our backcountry ski trip up the far East ridge of Anvil mountain. The hike is normally pretty hard and steep! However, the falling snow covered any icy spots, so we made great time!
The top of our first shot, where our first descent would be, was called the banana chute. This north-facing tree line is a very popular descent. We took no chances and dug a good pit and tested the snow. Saying the snow was bomb-proof would be an understatement. Except for the top layer of freshly falling snow, it was like concrete. We felt safe and took to the hill as though we were jumping from piles of goose feathers. The snow was incredible soft and VERY FUN! After our first descent, it was time to break trail and head over the next ridge to a massive bowl with even more powder options!
The hike up to the top was difficult to say the least. The new snow was light, but there was lots of it! We finally made our way to a safe ridge line and took in the magnificent bowl. Ahhh, there would be nothing so beautiful that day! Fresh and untouched powder EVERYWHERE!!!
The turns here were awesome!
At the bottom of our third lap, we decided, just one more go! We hiked up slowly. We had already covered 3500 feet of elevation gain and our legs were beginning to BURN! When I made it to the top of the climb, the winds hit my face like beating drums. Immediately, I felt a concern rush over me. I looked down at my friend who was about 30 feet below me - not far at all. He was making his way up the skin track. The winds picked up once more. Again, the concern flushed my face. Added to the noise of the wind was a strange rumbling sound. I had never heard this before on Anvil peak (11550 feet, to be exact). I looked up to the check out the ridge and that's when I saw it! It was like claws of snow were running towards me and I could do nothing! It was an avalanche! I yelled for my friend to get down. With the amount of snow coming my way, my instincts took over. Immediately, I braced for the impact. With the visibility so poor, I had no idea what was coming my way. The snow hit me and covered me. Then, a second wave came through and pushed me over. I began tumbling through the snow. In an instant it was over. My friend immediately began to check on me and I him.
To say we were lucky is an understatement! After ducking in the trees and thinking about what just happened, we took a look to see how the rest of the bowl faired. Not only had our section run, but the entire bowl did! The crown, or top of the avalanche was roughly 5 - 8 feet high (hard to tell with the visibility so bad). The width of the avalanche was 300 - 400 feet. The length was a surprising 800 feet! That means it ran the entire bowl length. Had we been skiing at the time, you may have never seen words on this blog ever again!
Even though you can't tell much from the picture, folks I'm lucky!
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