Aspen
AvalancheDylan Craaybeek · Jan 5, 2025 · Aspen
Weather
S1 to S2 for most of the day with a few short periods of sunshine poking through mostly overcast to broken sky. Moderate north to northwest winds throughout the morning loading south-facing slopes.
Snowpack
The slab in Raspberry Creek is about 60 to 90cm thick with a total height of snow (HS) around 140-180cm. Where the slab is this thick extended column tests show non-propagating failures and propagation saw tests fail around 40% of the column. This area is heading towards a Specific/Stubborn Persistent Slab avalanche problem and a scary MODERATE (2 of 5) danger on these deeper slopes which is misleading because I am very confident the most dangerous slopes are the ones that slid during the Thanksgiving weak cycle and are much shallower with a more developed weak layer. Probing some known areas that slide from a safe distance it seemed like the HS was around 110cm.
Avalanche
I triggered two small Wind Slab avalanches on a south and southeast-facing slope and saw several recent avalanches that likely happened in the last few days on east and northeast-facing slopes, all on slopes that avalanches earlier this season.