Details

• Date: 2015/11/12

• Observer: Robert V. Coppolillo

Location

• BC Zone: Front Range
• Area Description: Jones Pass, E/SE aspects up to 12,500 ft.
• Route Description: Left the parking, toured up sled track, traversed meadow below and east of the road cut, arriving at 12,500 ft, 200 feet south of Jones Pass proper. Descended to the east, then toured up/descended the next gully system to the south.

Weather

• Weather Description: Sunny, clear, cold, moderate winds from the NE/N, sheltered below treeline and strong solar (hot!)

Snowpack

• Snowpack Description: Highly variable, from 10cm on solar aspects near treeline to filled-in gullies (east-facing) up to 1m deep. Up to 10cm of depth hoar (small--undeveloped, but not measured) in places, but generally less layering that I expected. Wind-skin developing at 11,000ft NE/E/SE aspects, becoming a soft-slab (up to 25cm thick) above 11,600ft, becoming a stiff slab at ridgeline (approx 12,600), with cornices developing.

Avalanches

• Avalanche Description: Two D1, slab avalanches observed, one at approx 11,500, in a shallow, confined gully trimmed by rock on both sides. Chunks (microwave sized) and debris, ran 100ft. Enough to knock somebody down. Second D1 appeared to be triggered by a cornice drop at Jones Pass proper, large chunks at start zone, then remnants of a slab traveled 200 ft downslope (east-facing, right where road crests the ridgeline at Jones Pass). 12,600ft approx.

	Date	Location/Path	#	Elev	Asp	Type	Trig	SizeR	SizeD
	2015/11/12  †	Jones Pass	1	>TL		SS			D1
Date: 2015/11/12 (Estimated) Observer: Robert V. Coppolillo Landmark: Jones Pass Elevation: 11500 ft Average Vertical: 100 ft Comments: At approx 11,500, in a shallow, confined gully trimmed by rock on both sides. Chunks (microwave sized) and debris, ran 100ft. Enough to knock somebody down.
	2015/11/12  †	Jones Pass	1	>TL	E	HS	AC		D1
Date: 2015/11/12 (Estimated) Observer: Robert V. Coppolillo Landmark: Jones Pass Elevation: 12600 ft Average Vertical: 200 ft Comments: D1 appeared to be triggered by a cornice drop at Jones Pass proper, large chunks at start zone, then remnants of a slab traveled 200 ft downslope (east-facing, right where road crests the ridgeline at Jones Pass). 12,600ft approx.