Aspen
AvalancheDylan Craaybeek · Nov 30, 2024 · Aspen
Weather
Very cold morning with below zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures warming up to the high teens and low twenties by the afternoon. Clear sky and moderate west winds with noticeable snow transport along ridgelines and above treeline.
Snowpack
The snowpack is consistently a meter deep near the Tagert and Green Wilson huts. The bottom 40cm or so is composed of relatively small rounding facets while the top 60cm is all from the last storm. There is a clear melt form layer within the new snow, similar to the Raggeds. Snowpack tests on northeast, north, and northwest-facing slopes near and above treeline show mostly stable results with extended column tests getting non-propagating failures and propagation saw tests getting self-arresting fractures. There was noticeable Wind Slab development above treeline on convex rollovers. These were the only terrain features we could get cracking in the new snow. Some small collapses only occasionally associated with cracking occurred only below treeline, not near or above. A full-profile snow pit dug about 250 feet to the northwest of the new Castle Creek SNOTEL station measured .4 additional inches of SWE in a less wind-affected meadow.
Avalanche
Upper Castle Creek did not miss out on this avalanche cycle. There are many small avalanches along road cuts and on steep slopes directly above Castle Creek below treeline on all aspects. The more significant avalanche activity occurred on larger slopes near and above treeline, also on all aspects with the largest avalanches being on east and northeast-facing slopes above treeline. Basically every major avalanche path that threatens the road heading up Castle Creek had an avalanche with Durr 1 being the only one that nearly made it to the valley floor.