Accident Report
Pikes Peak - CO
1 climber, caught - not buried. - 2025/03/29
Backcountry Area: Front Range
Status: Final Report
Published: 2025/03/31
Authors: Public Observation updated by CAIC Staff
Accident Summary
Observation Summary
Very touchy windslab 2-10" ENE facing at 13k elevation. I intentionally triggered 2 slides that broke half the width of the couloir and ran 1200 feet to the basin.
Area Description
40 degree couloir East Northeast facing 13k in elevation just below ridgeline. Often featured in CAIC area forecasts as an example of an area where you could trigger a slide in wind drifted slopes.
Route Description
French Creek, just below rock wall mile marker 17 Pikes Peak.
Avalanche
Caught in an avalanche
French creek, "the wall area" mile 17 of pikes peak highway, east northeast aspect, 13 k in elevation 2 miles south of Pikes Peak summit.
|
i
Expand to see more details
|
Date | # | Elev | Asp | Type | Trig | SizeR | SizeD | Problem Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
03/29/2025
|
2 | >TL | NE | SS | AF | R1 | D1.5 | Wind Slab |
|
|
|
Date, Time & Site
Date and Time
03/29/2025 -
12:00pm
(known)
Slope Angle
40
Dimensions
Avg Depth
6 in
Avg Width
30 ft
Avg Vertical Run
1000 ft
Max Vertical Run
1200 ft
Weak Layer
Layer Type
Unknown
Grain type
Unknown
Start Zone
Elevation
13000 ft
Highway
Terminus
BP
Road Status
Closed
Comments
Area Description
French creek, area called the wall.
|
||||||||||
Snowpack
Cracking:
Shooting
Collapsing:
Minor
soft wind slab 2-10" deep over a suncrust. pencil hard snow up to 100cm below that.
Weather
Cloudy, 35 degrees, wind from the west at 15 mph