Aspen
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Feb 22, 2019 · Aspen
Weather
Snow overnight near McClure Pass with around 1 inch of accumulation. Another couple inches fell in the morning hours. A break in the weather around noon before a few squalls of snow in the late afternoon. Estimated storm snow from last 48 hours is 5 inches.
Snowpack
Recreational Trip Obs---The snowpack depth in the areas we traveled was between 200 and 230 cm. A couple extended column tests (just testing the top meter of the snowpack) yielded no results. Cracking in the top few inches of snow as relatively higher density snow today rests on the lower density inch of snow that fell 2 nights ago. No concerns there unless another foot of snow fell which doesn't look like it is in the cards. Overall stable and strong snowpack. Layer of graupel was identified about 45 cm down in one snowpit but no results on this layer. Also a softer layer of snow (very small facets) about 20 to 30 cm down but also unreactive in tests.---No signs of instability except for a shallower area that we stumbled upon that avalanched at some point this year. See avalanche obs section.
Avalanche
Our group descended to 9000 feet on a northerly facing treed slope. We started to see evidence of older avalanche activity. The snowpack felt much shallower and weaker compared to the deeper and stronger snowpack of the area we descended. We began to traverse out of the area and to an intended ascent route. A person in our party was following the set traverse track when they triggered a small avalanche from below that broke at the ground (2 to 3 feet deep). The avalanche ran a short ways (~60 feet) between two people in the group that were following the already set traverse track across the slope.