Aspen
AvalancheScott Toepfer · Mar 30, 2017 · Aspen
Weather
Wednesday 3/29/17 Started overcast but clearing by 10 AM. Got warm rapidly, but a cool north wind developed which eventually helped keep shadier aspects N&ATL cooler. Thursday 3/30/17 started clear and sky quickly became overcast. Southwest winds were picking up. Some banners off 12,094 ft Ragged Mtn in Gunnison zone at 10 AM. 37F at Schofield at 11 am. Snowmass Pk was in a cloud. Skies mostly cleared by 11 am, and temps rose quickly. 46 F on Yule Creek Road at bottom of Carbonate Gulch at noon.
Snowpack
Wednesday 3/29/17 saw an inch or 3 new at 9,000 ft, some 12 to 15" at 11,500 ft. Old/new interface had trouble with bonding. Looked like a thin layer of graupel & rimed plates was the culprit. Quick shear tests were presenting easy clean peels on the entire up ski. NTL/11,000 we were able to ski cut a WLAScR1D1.5 I. SE aspect, gained speed and mass quickly before stopping in dense forest. Several WLNR1D1.5+'s noted on sunny aspects of Elk, Treasure, White House and several other un-named peaks in the area. Long runners, picked up a lot of debris...... On Thursday 3/30/17: Good overnight freeze left a firm crust on East aspects. N aspects still held soft snow, settled to about 6". Clearing late morning skies saw a rapid on-set of natural cinnamon roll action, east aspects in steep terrain, some grew to the size of a tire. No entrainment to form WLN before we had exited at 11AM.
Avalanche
Lot of natural WL activity during warm-up on 3/29/17. Ran on crust that formed late day on 3/28/17.