January 30 slide on Tumalo, central Oregon

Interesting both because it's PNW, and because of the implications of increased backcountry usage.

Tap does a nice job of aggregating the reports here:

www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.p...l-Info-and-backstory

For perspective, Tumalo is the lowest of the very limited low hanging fruit accessed without a snowmobile around here. The bowl is about 600' vert (unless you run it way out into low angle trees) and if people are skiing it (which is just about any time visibility and conditions are OK) there are almost always people at the bottom transitioning in the runout zone.

My opinion and observation on skiing Tumalo is that if you've deemed any part of the slope OK for skiing and are transitioning at the bottom of it, you have to fully expect someone may ski down any line on the slope while you are transitioning.

99% of skiers there transition where a slide could easily reach them. I am not sure how many realize it is a calculated risk. The group this happened to sounds like they are in the process of realizing it's tough to guess how far a slide will go. Almost no one runs it out into the relative safety of the little trees which would probably be a lot bigger if it were true that Tumalo never slides big.

The part of the slope that slid has a convex roll at the top, gets tons of wind transport, and links between the two rock bands. It's one of the most likely areas to slide as the report indicates. It is also one of the less intimidating entry points because it doesn't usually have a cornice, so it is often someone's pick for their first lap. Don't transition under it in marginal conditions, it could get triggered or go on its own. Transition further skier's left closer to the ascent rib or down in the flats.

In my opinion entering between the rock and cornice in the upper right of the picture (high point at the west end of the ridge) and staying skier's left of the rocks is the best way to test the slope, with escape towards the wind-stripped ascent rib to skier's left once you've cleared any wind loading below the cornice. I can't tell where this group skied from the report's description. It sort of sounds like they skied the part of the slope that slid and that they knew was suspect, but that just doesn't make sense.