A skier in this couloir triggered a small slab 6-10 inches deep and 15ft wide. He was not buried but he was bruised and lost some gear as the avalanche carried him over rocks. Couloirs like this in the Bridgers often get wind loaded from snow coming off the slabs on the right side of the couloir. This loading makes such couloirs skiable in the early season, but also increases the avalanche risk. This group noticed some cracking on their ascent along the edge of the snow, but continued anyway and admitted they shouldn't have ignored this important clue.
Forecast link: GNFAC Avalanche Advisory for Fri Oct 30, 2009