Aspen
AvalancheDylan Craaybeek · Nov 29, 2022 · Aspen
Weather
Cold and snowy morning (0F around 11,000 ft. at 8:00 and S2). Overcast sky clearing to Broken then Scattered sky around 13:00 and 16:00 respectively. Moderate winds gusting Strong above 12,000 feet. Intense snow transport at ridgeline with Moderate snow transport in West Willow Creek near and below the treeline.
Snowpack
30-50cm of new snow (two to three times that on wind drifted terrain features) on top of a thin slab (3-6cm) from the November 26-27 snowfall. Below this layer the snowpack is composed of two distinct layers of well-developed facets and depth hoar (F- to F hard respectively on the hand-hardness scale). Snowpack tests show propagating results on isolation or within the first couple taps. It is difficult to find a slope facing northwest to east through southeast where you don't experience loud collapses, shooting cracks, and remote triggered avalanches, all failing below the November 26-27 snow on facets. The snowpack seems the most unstable near the treeline likely due to wind above the treeline scouring or loading slopes creating less of a consistent persistent weak layer(PWL) across the terrain, but there were still several large collapses above the treeline on northerly aspects. The new snow seems to be bonding well to melt-freeze crusts (MFcr) on southerly aspects that lack a PWL and on many south and southwest-facing slopes above, near, and below the treeline the new snow fell on dry ground hitting the reset button for the snowpack on those slopes.
Avalanche
Numerous remotely triggered small (D1) avalanches and several natural large (D2) avalanches in West Willow Creek and the Garrett Peak ridgeline. Natural avalanches on Garrett Peak coded here: https://classic.avalanche.state.co.us/caic/obs/obs_report.php?obs_id=72345