Aspen
AvalancheColter Hinchlife · Dec 3, 2018 · Aspen
Weather
Snowing hard, new snow of 2-3" already on the ground at 11,000ft East facing terrain off of Aspen mountain.
Snowpack
Burried facets with blower powder on top, new snow in the past 48 hours 12" or so. E facing 11,000 feet
Avalanche
We triggered an avalanche on an east facing slope of about 38 degrees at 11,000ft in lightly gladed terrain outside the ski area boundary on Aspen mountain. Time of day was approximately 4pm. The slide was triggered via a ski cut which created whoopfing and settling which remote triggered the steeper slope below with a max crown we estimated at 14 inches. The slide was approximately 50 feet wide and ran a few hundred feet downslope before depositing a 4 foot debris pile in the rock garden below. That avalanche in turn remote triggered the slope to our right which is a much steeper and more prone slope in general. With the heavy rate of snowfall we couldn't see the adjacent slide too well but assumed it was similar to what we just witnessed. The slide we witnessed certainly had the power and speed to smash a victim through the trees and rocks below and could have caused serious harm or death had someone been caught. We failed to capture any photos of the path.