Aspen
AvalancheMatt Huber · Nov 13, 2019 · Aspen
Weather
Skies were clear with temperatures in the low to mid-30's throughout the trip. Calm winds in the drainage bottoms with no visual indicators for ridge top winds.
Snowpack
The south face of Arkansas mountain is completely bare. Along the drainage bottom and the north facing slopes of Lost Trail Creek near 10,000 feet, the entire snowpack(roughly 30 cm deep) is comprised of 2-3 mm depth hoar crystals. The sunny slopes that are still holding snow cover are crusted, while 3-4 mm surface hoar crystals top the depth hoar on the cold shady slopes.
Avalanche
A previously undocumented very large avalanche from the early March 2019 cycle was observed on the south side of Arkansas Mountain. A large swath of old-growth timber, 18-22" diameter at breast heighth (DBH), was destroyed as the avalanche swept across the drainage bottom, across the other side and followed the Lost Trail Creek for almost a half mile. Portions of the Lead King Basin road were buried with the jackstrawed old-growth timber but have been cut through, opening the road.