On Saturday, July 25, 2020 at 12:18:19 PM UTC-7, wrote:
"Being close to steep slopes is generally safer than shallow slopes because your escape routes get more clearance sooner."

I wonder how steep the terrain was? The Whites can produce brutal air currents. It;s like the blink of an eye and you. Scares you enough to leave some some extra escape room on those days. Terrain is a very complex thing. It seems ( I am speculating here) that the terrain where the accident occurred was not very steep.

Can someone confirm?

The slope is medium in that it isn't vertical. In places it is very steep, as near vertical.

After giving it some thought, I think that Marak was thermalling up the slope in a left turn, below the ridge top, when he saw his opportunity to clear the ridge and circle directly over it in the strongest lift. I have done this many times, but this time he got a gust that stalled the low (left) wing and he dropped. He almost would have cleared the ridge, but did not. End of story.

Tom