Aspen
AvalancheMatt Huber · Jan 17, 2019 · Aspen
Weather
Visibility along the quarry road was less than 100 m with consistent S1 to S2 the entire trip. Southwest winds on top of McClure pass were strong enough to form small cornices near the cliff bands. About 7" of new snow had fallen on McClure, 10+" along the quarry road in Marble
Snowpack
Along the quarry road, several cutbanks had avalanched early in the storm, likely triggered by the plow, and had reloaded with crowns barely visible. A small soft slab D1 was visible in the steep gully below Middle Earth. The plow operator observed 100' avalanche propagation in the cutbanks, likely on the layer of 2-4mm surface hoar that was at the surface.
Avalanche
One small soft slab avalanche near the steep gully on the low end of Middle earth. The fracture line was roughly 50 feet across and about 12" deep, following the steepest break-overs of the gully wall R1D1