Aspen

Avalanche

Colin Mitchell · Jan 7, 2017 · Aspen

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Weather

Overcast and breezy. High thin clouds in the morning, storm clouds moved in by afternoon. The summits of the peaks in the West Elks were obscured by 3:00 pm.

Snowpack

Skiers tested all of the popular runs in the area, with the possible exception of the Alleys, without incident. Wind loading and cornice formation has restarted on N-E slopes. Wind loading was light to moderate all day. Big wind slabs have formed this week on the lee sides of the ridges that come down off of Raspberry and Marble peaks. Cornices on the ridge above Marble Bowl and between there and Mud Peak are getting quite large and overhanging. We gave them a wide berth.

Avalanche

A rather large D2 ran on the west face of Marble Peak, probably on the 4th or 5th. Appeared to be a storm-related avalanche in a cross-loaded gully. Crown ran vertically along the side of the gully.