Aspen
AvalancheMatt Huber · Dec 1, 2019 · Aspen
Weather
Temperatures rose very quickly within the few hours we were out, starting in the single digits to almost 30F when we hit the truck. A few isolated gusts were visible on ridgetop, otherwise winds were calm.
Snowpack
The snowpack at 10,600 feet is about 1 meter deep. At the surface, there is a freshly formed layer of 3-5 mm surface hoar on top of 30 centimeters of fist+ storm snow. A layer of intact surface hoar sits at 70 cm from the ground. Below the buried surface hoar sits 40 centimeters of 4f-1f rounds. All of this is resting on 30 centimeters of 3-4 mm depth hoar that pours out of the pit walls when exposed. Extended column tests produced propogating results with 9-10 taps from the wrist. ECTP9/10 The surface hoar layer at 70 cm from the ground popped very clean during non-standard testing
Avalanche
Seven natural D2 avalanches were observed near Yule Pass, just west of Schofield pass where the highest storm totals have been reported. All were above treeline on north facing slopes except two that ran on a northwest facing slope earlier in the storm