Feb 14, 2014, Shuksan Arm, Mt Baker

Shuksan Arm from White Salmon Lodge, Friday Feb. 14, 2014
Controlled Release

Beautiful photo, aaxlu.

I've been up there a few times this week, Sunday, Monday, and yesterday. It went again Monday morning at ~4500' between the football field and the obvious gulley west of the "heli line". Yesterday there was a crown from the west end of the face above the headwall/beast all the way to the double barrel chute and another that crossed the top of the "heli line" and all the way across the hour glass. There was also a crown at the top of the gulley west of the headwall.

The bottom of the valley has 30 feet of new snow in it all the way to the traverse back to the ski area.

This is common for this area during a storm cycle like what we have had and the few professionals that I've talked to seem to think that the bed surface was within the storm snow.

I witnessed the Feb 14th 1999 slide. Valentine's day does not seem the time to be on Shuksan Arm!

I witnessed the Feb 14th 1999 slide. Valentine's day does not seem the time to be on Shuksan Arm!

You actually watched it happen or you were there that day? I was on the other side of the mountain when it happened but I caught the last chair up 5 and walked to the top of 8 to look at it. That was a jaw dropping sight to see and a tragic event. I can't imagine what it would have been like to see it go down and to be in the middle of the commotion afterwards.

Had just skied the slope through the trees (upper left in above picture), which was the very lateral margin of that days crown. Hit the low traverse track (well established that day) and 30 sec later I saw 1 of 2 riders being taken under (he had red pants, I was screaming at him to get out of the valley), and also saw large old growth tree snap off mid slope under crown line among house size(?) blocks of snow. That man, Shawn Riches (RIP) was found two Septembers later.
My tracks on the margin (that haunt me) are visible on the cover of some avy book that I think I may still have...

...it was pg 4 of "freeriding in avalanche terrain". My tracks one of those labeled (closest to crown). The plucked old growth tree was similar in size to the one left standing in this picture. We (my wife and I) are thankful that it didn't continue ripping along the arm, as we would be dead. We still remember the smell when crossing the debris...it was metallic with scent of evergreen...

Wow! Glad you made it out of there ok.