Aspen
SnowpackAnonymous · Mar 2, 2011 · Aspen
Weather
The sky was clear to start, with increasing cloud cover throughout the day. Temperatures were in the mid-20s during the day, reaching as high as the lower 40's in the afternoon. Wind was also light to moderate out of the SW on the skin up with gusts of up to 25 mph.
Snowpack
Heavy wind slab from recent wind and storm will add stress to an already complex snowpack, riddled with persistent weak layers. NW-NE-E at and above treeline will pose the greatest threats for deep fast moving slides, with potential to be destructive.
Skier 1 was most familiar with the area and had skied it plenty this season, the plan was to skin up the ridge to the summit and decide what to ski as we went. The skin involved crossing steep avalanche terrain in the same aspects we would possibly be skiing. There were no signs of instability and no signs of natural slides occurring in the area. Skier 1 skinned to the edge of the gully to check it out and cracks shot out from the snow beneath and a hard slab pulled out about 50 ft below moving at a very high rate, washing over trees. Skier 2 heard skier 1 shout out. Skier 2 arrived just in time to see the debris slow to a stop. Skier 3 saw the aftermath. Further investigation was desired by the group, but there was still to much danger.
The avalanche was triggered by skier 1 remotely, approximately 50 ft below the top of the gully on a convexity. The crown ranged about 24 to 30 inches, slightly increasing in size from the flanks to the center, traveling the whole width of the chute, about 300 ft. The debris traveled over 1000 vertical feet and traveled very fast to the bottom of the path.
Skier 1 was most familiar with the area and had skied it plenty this season, the plan was to skin up the ridge to the summit and decide what to ski as we went. The skin involved crossing steep avalanche terrain in the same aspects we would possibly be skiing. There were no signs of instability and no signs of natural slides occurring in the area. Skier 1 skinned to the edge of the gully to check it out and cracks shot out from the snow beneath and a hard slab pulled out about 50 ft below moving at a very high rate, washing over trees. Skier 2 heard skier 1 shout out. Skier 2 arrived just in time to see the debris slow to a stop. Skier 3 saw the aftermath. Further investigation was desired by the group, but there was still to much danger.
The avalanche was triggered by skier 1 remotely, approximately 50 ft below the top of the gully on a convexity. The crown ranged about 24 to 30 inches, slightly increasing in size from the flanks to the center, traveling the whole width of the chute, about 300 ft. The debris traveled over 1000 vertical feet and traveled very fast to the bottom of the path.