Aspen

Avalanche

Nathan Rowland · Dec 4, 2019 · Aspen

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Weather

Sky Condition: FEW Precip: NO Air Temp: 27F @ 11K Wind: Calm

Snowpack

In the start zone of the path (Skiers Left side of Harris Headwall, 11K ft, ENE Aspect): Profile One: HS 80cm Reactive Buried Surface Hoar at 52cm Fist Hard Facets from ground to 30cm Profile Two: HS 90cm Reactive Buried Surface Hoar at 59cm Fist Hard Facets from ground to 38cm Along the fracture the HS varied from 75cm to 95cm. Also of note, new surface hoar (1-3cm) has formed.

Avalanche

SS-ASc-R3/D2-O With an expectation of slope failure, our first ski cut was in the relative flats above the headwall and had a positive result (9:50am). Inspection of the crown indicated failure in both the buried surface hoar and deeper facets. Crown was roughly 250ft across and slide ran 200ft vertically. Spot probing of the debris revealed 170-285cm of deposition at the base of the slope. There remains 5-30cm of facets in the bed surface.