Aspen
AvalancheMatt Huber · Mar 2, 2019 · Aspen
Weather
Low level clouds blocked most visibility into above treeline terrain throughout the trip. Temperatures stayed in the upper twenties with very calm winds
Snowpack
The total height of the snowpack at 11,000 feet on an east facing slope was about 180centimeters. There is 40 cm of new snow sitting on a 3 cm thick, knife hard crust. Extended column tests produced easy propagating results ECTP9 at the new/old interface on 3 out of 3 tests with no other results deeper in the snowpack. On a west facing slope, the new/old interface produced similar results but only once out of three tests.
Avalanche
A small avalanche was triggered in a recently windloaded portion of the bed surface of a previous avalache. The prrevious avalanche was intentionally released to prepare for a local skimo race. A racer fell, near the old crown and triggered the avalanche, which also released a small portion of the hangfire.