Aspen
AvalancheDylan Craaybeek · Dec 20, 2024 · Aspen
Snowpack
The snowpack is mostly weak, faceted snow except on sunny slopes and wind-affected slopes. On east-facing slopes at the ridgeline I could get cracks to shoot around 10 feet away from my skis on wind-loaded rollovers with <1cm ski penetration. On westerly slopes, the snow was mostly soft with variable wind crusts and some thin, hard slabs from westerly winds compacting the snow on windward slopes.
Avalanche
Triggered a small slab avalanche on a northwest-facing slope below treeline. The avalanche was on a heavily wind-affected slope less than 200 feet below the ridgeline. The crown of the avalanche was about three to four inches thick and broke around 20 feet wide, running about 250 vertical feet. This slope was more wind-pressed than wind-loaded with variable dense, wind-hardened snow across the slope. This was the only pocket releasing an avalanche on a 37-degree slope. There was also what appears to be a skier-triggered slab from a day or two ago on a north-facing slope off Raspberry Peak into Raspberry Creek.