"South side of the Glide Plane released as a glide avalanche last evening (May 12th) sometime around 6 pm according to source. Bed surface was ground in starting zone of wet clay soil sparsely covered in long grass. Debris chunks, some snowmobile sized, rode up on surface and slid approx. 200 vert. Debris could have bumped a tower on the old Alpine lift if it still lived there. Last freeze was 6 am on the 10th of May. The high temperature on the 12th was 59 degrees at 4 pm."
From BBSP Avalanche Atlas:
Interesting Events:
"The Glide Plane annually develops a significant glide crack starting on the north side of the lower section. There is only one event (late 1960’s) of this path breaking out to the ground that can be recalled (glide avalanche). This occurred sometime when Randy Elliott was a grade-schooler and it did damage to a tower on the old Alpine lift. A deflector was then built onto the damaged tower. Mitigation efforts throughout the 80’s consisted of extensive boot packing early season and one attempt of encircling entire slope with det chord. These efforts proved futile, as the crack still developed and the slope remained intact.
Circa 2013 when the original Alpine chair was removed, the road cut known as the 3 Bears Traverse was filled back in with its original material that had been the foundation of the unload station of the old Alpine. This is the 3rd season (2016) with the original landscape, the glide crack has still opened but the slope has stayed in place.
Early 1980’s, Joel Jurgens wanted to test the slope because of rapid movement. Buried big shots on flanks and Goldilocks Traverse level strung together with det cord. –Randy Elliott 2017" - Pete Maleski 2015-2016