Aspen

Avalanche

Anonymous · Mar 28, 2017 · Aspen

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Weather

Rain below 8,000 feet, steady snow and low visibility above 10,000 feet. No wind and very warm.

Snowpack

≈6-8" of heavy new snow on top of supportive crusts (from past weekend) on SE-NE aspects. Not well bonded and very reactive on steep slopes.

Avalanche

Three soft slab skier-triggered avalanches on steep convexities involving only storm snow (8-10 inch crowns). Largest one was probably R2 D1.5, ran approximately 1,000 feet by maybe 100'. Dimensions are estimates due to low visibility and not wanting to stick around given the touchy conditions. Debris on lower bench was up to 6 feet deep. Definitely big enough to bury a person or cause serious issues in a terrain trap. No signs instability prior to slides.