Aspen

Avalanche

Nick Springstead · Jan 24, 2017 · Aspen

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Weather

OVC, S1 (mostly graupel), Light SW below tree line, moderate to strong SW at and above.

Snowpack

Fresh (still shallow ~10cm) wind loading at ridge crest on N-NE aspects. @ crown: HS 185cm, HN24 ~35cm. Buried 1cm surface hoar layer between 35cm 4F precip. particles and 1F decomposing fragments/rounds underneath.

Avalanche

SS-AS/u-R2-D2-I 35cm deep. 60m wide. I made several turns expecting to trigger a shallow wind slab at the roll over. After 30ft the avalanche proppagated far to my right. I skied off the slab to my left. The debris continued to the bottom of the drainage ~1200ft below the crown, propagating into nearby steep slopes as it passed.