Details
- Observer: blase reardon
- Organization: Forecaster, CAIC
Location
- BC Zone: Aspen
- Area Description: Highlands Ridge (Pinky). 12400-8500'
Weather
- Ridgeline Wind Speed: 10-20 mph
- Ridgeline Wind Direction: SW
- Wind Loading: Light
- Temperature: 32 F
- Sky Cover: Broken
- Depth of Total Snow: 240 cm
- Weather Description: Mostly clear skies in AM gave way to high, thin clouds from west by mid afternoon. Strong, gusty winds at ridgetop. Mostly from SW, but swirling from east at times. Warm.
Snowpack
- Snowpack Description: Windward slopes had thin, variable snow cover. Leeward slopes had thick, continuous snow cover. Enough sun and radiation to moisten even NE-facing near treeline slopes. Some blowing snow along ridge, but didn't seem to be building slabs.
|
|
- Snowpack Obsvervation #1
- Cracking: None
- Collapsing: None
- Persistent Weak Layer: Yes
- Comments: Interfaces between storms of past 6 weeks still apparent in tests and profiles. But no distinct, well-preserved weak layers. Only facets I saw were small and well on the way to rounding. Tests produce planar shears between layers, and occasional propagation (w hardest force) that isn't consistent from test to test or pit to pit.
|
|
|
- Snowpack Obsvervation #2
- Cracking: None
- Collapsing: None
- Comments: Surface snow almost always moist; wet near valley bottoms. 1 small (SS-ASu-R1D1-I 25cm) triggered slab that didn't propagate or run more than a few feet. Steep, NE-facing slope. Thin, skiable crusts where shaded long enough to refreeze.
|
Avalanches
- Avalanche Description: Triggered 1 small slab avalanche involving storm snow. Snow moist but not wet. Most widespread LWa activity out of steep, rocky W-SW facing slope.
|
2016/03/27 † |
Maroon Creek |
8 |
TL |
W |
WL |
N |
R2 |
D1.5 |
- Date: 2016/03/27
(Estimated)
- Observer: blase reardon
- Organization: Forecaster, CAIC
- Area Description: Skier's right side of TONAR bowl, above Little Wasatch exit.
- Landmark: Maroon Creek
- Elevation: 11100 ft
|
- Sliding Surface: S - Within Storm Snow
- Average Vertical: 350 ft
- Maximum Vertical: 500 ft
- Comments: Noted late morning 3/28; likely ran previous afternoon.
|
|
|
|
2016/03/28 † |
Conundrum Creek |
1 |
<TL |
NE |
SS |
AS / u |
R1 |
D1 |
- Date: 2016/03/28
(Estimated)
- Observer: blase reardon
- Organization: Forecaster, CAIC
- Area Description: Steep side of 5 Fingers avalanche track.
- Landmark: Conundrum Creek
- Elevation: 9500 ft
|
- Sliding Surface: I - New/Old Interface
- Weak Layer: Interface
- Weak Layer Grain Type: Unknown
- Maximum Crown: 10 in
- Maximum Width: 15 ft
- Maximum Vertical: 20 ft
- Comments: Somewhere between soft slab and wet slab. Failed at 3/22 crust/ dust layer.
|
|
Media
Images
Figure 1: Loose Wet avalanches on a WSW-facing, near-treeline slope. Image 3/28/16; slides likely ran previous day.
Figure 2: A small slab avalanche that broke on the 3/22 crust/ dust when a skier cut the slope. The slide did not run far but the moist debris would have been hard to escape. 3/28/16.
Figure 3: Partial profile from NE-facing, near-treeline slope. Interfaces between storm layers of past 6 weeks producing planar shears in snowpack tests, but inconsistent propagation.