Aspen
AvalancheBen Pritchett · Nov 26, 2023 · Aspen
Weather
Cold, clear and calm.
Snowpack
The average height of snow ranged from about 2 to 3 feet deep (70 to 100cm). Sun-exposed slopes where October snow melted away were generally less noisy, with cracking confined to individual terrain features, not across broad mountain slopes like northerly-facing terrain across the valley. A slight change in aspect on gully walls, just a few degrees north of east, brought back the long-running, booming collapses. Wind overnight changed a lot of snow textures above 12,000 feet, drifting into gullies, and releasing a few natural avalanches that were not there 24 hours prior.
Avalanche
A large avalanche and several smaller avalanches ran between mid-day Saturday and early Sunday morning. The wind didn't blow hard, but enough goose feathers drifted into gullies to trigger slides on cross-loaded northwest and northeast-facing terrain in the Paradise Divide area.