Aspen
Avalancheblase reardon · Apr 16, 2016 · Aspen
Weather
S2 snow starting ~ midafternoon 4/15. Pretty much continuous snowfall next 30 hours, at least S-1 but mostly s1 w bursts of S2 and even S5. Skies mostly overcast, often obscured, with some broken skies late afternoon 4/16. Winds calm to light. Temps dropping.
Snowpack
4/15: unsupportable oatmeal below treeline unless on previously packed track. 4/16: Old snow surface refroze overnight; 7-10 cm crust formed but moist, coarse-grained, soft snow remained underneath. Crust + new snow reliably supportive on skis above ~10k ft elevation.
Avalanche
Looks like a fairly widespread Wet Slab avalanche cycle 4/13, almost entirely on slopes w shallow snow cover (<1 m) below steep rock bands and cliffs. Most - almost all? - triggered by Loose Wet avalanches from rocks above slope. Wet Slabs broke at/ near ground and propagated, though never widely. Most of volume produced by thickness of crown, not width. Most slopes obscured 4/16, so couldn't see any clear signs of natural activity. Most obvious slides described below.