Aspen

Avalanche

Sam Feuerborn · Dec 10, 2018 · Aspen

View on map

Weather

AM winds calming down around 1pm, blowing snow and active precip., accumulation less than an inch of low % snow, East-Northeast Faces of Arkansas, at treeline

Snowpack

Varied with aspect loaded and shaded aspects had 1-1.5 meter deep snow pack. Shaded slopes had significant depth hoar layer 2-4cm thick.

Avalanche

Due East slopes had slid (guessing on the evening of the 7th, Snow bikes had ridden on the bed surface the day before we skied). Small slab avalanche on a SW aspect as well. Due East faces slid to the ground, the avalanches on SW and NE aspects slid on the Tgiving crust with .5-1.5 meter deep bed. Huge range in destructive ability from Dnothing to D2.5. Late in day there were many loose wet above treeline on S/SW aspects