Aspen
AvalancheGreg Shaffran · Feb 2, 2014 · Aspen
Weather
Clear skies. Some intermittent moderate (W) blowing snow off the high peaks. The 24hr high at Aspen Mtn Patrol HQ was 23F, with a low of -4F. Calm-Light winds.
Snowpack
Dug fracture line profile on natural (or maybe remotely triggered?) D1 that released Friday(?) on the far skier's left of the terrain trap above Harris's. HS was 165 with the top 65cm being F-1F strom snow. There was a distinciton in the strom snow 45cm down (120cm interface) and then a prononced 1cm facet later at 100cm. This was the bed surface for the adjacent avalanches. A couple small distinctions in the 4F-1F midpack from 100cm-55cm. Then pencil hard depth hoar from 55cm down, with an ice layer at the ground. Our test results were CTM(PC) at the 120cm interface within the storm snow. Then we had CTM(20) SC SP at the visible 100cm interface and also at another interface several centimeters below that. We had ECTN at the 120cm interface within the strom snow, and then ECTX on the rest of the block. We had RB2 (edge of block), at that 120cm storm snow interface, then RB3 (whole block) at the 100cm visible facet layer. RB4 (whole block) went in the middle of the depth hoar, and by RB5 the multiple slabs were in motion, and although it didn't move far, it did move quickly. We only did one round of tests so none of these results were repeated.
Avalanche
We observed several natural's on the east side of Richmond Ridge at 11400 feet. They looked liked they ran sometime on Friday, because the crowns were aprox. 2' thick, and the bed surfaces were fairly well refilled. There were also a lot of naturals observed off the east side of Highlands Ridge at treeline.