Aspen
AvalancheDylan Craaybeek · Mar 6, 2024 · Aspen
Weather
On and off S1 throughout the day with periods of sunshine and light westerly winds. Some snow transport visible on the ridgeline above Cathedral Lake.
Avalanche
A very large (D3) avalanche occurred in an east-facing avalanche path known locally as the Durr Chutes on March 4 just before 4:30 PM. The avalanche ran from the ridgeline to the valley bottom around 2400 vertical feet crossing a commonly traveled winter backcountry road. The air blast broke small branches of trees on the other side of the valley and deposited a significant amount of pine needles and small branches well past the debris pile. The avalanche broke hundreds of small trees (less than 4 inches in diameter) and at least a dozen trees over 18 inches in diameter as well as destroying a USFS sign placed at the Pearl Pass road turnoff after the 2019 avalanche cycle. The avalanche failed on a layer of 2mm facets from the February 2 interface and stepped down to the early January layer of 1mm rounding facets as well as stepping down to the ground on a layer of 4-6mm well-developed depth hoar. This left three distinct crowns throughout the avalanche path. The crown connected across all three Durr Chutes (Durr 1, Durr 2, and Durr 3) and sympathetically triggered several other large avalanches in dense trees on the ribs that distinguish the three different chutes. Two other large avalanches ran just on the other side of the ridgeline from Durr 1 into Pine Creek, likely around the same time, on north-facing, steep, rocky gullies.