Details

• Date: 2016/12/16

• Observer: blase reardon
• Organization: Forecaster, CAIC

Location

• BC Zone: Aspen
• Area Description: East side Richmond Hill. Harris', Lusheen's, McFarlane's. 10400-11300 ft, mostly below treeline terrain.

Weather

• Ridgeline Wind Speed: 5-10 mph
• Ridgeline Wind Direction: SW
• Wind Loading: None
• Temperature: 25 F
• Depth of New Snow: 10 cm
• Depth of Total Snow: 80 cm
• Most Significant Precip Rate: S2 - 2 cm/hr
• Weather Description: Skies obscured. Damp. Winds calm-L. Continuous snow late morning-mid afternoon. Snow accumulating above ~ 8200 ft. S1-2, rimed pp w occasional graupel. Winds picked up late afternoon.

Snowpack

• Snowpack Description: New snow over midpack slab over basal facets. Touchier in terrain closest to ridgeline/ NTL and more recently wind affected.

Snowpack Obsvervation #1 Cracking: Minor Collapsing: None Persistent Weak Layer: Yes Comments: No collapses. a few short cracks in new snow. Not much hardness/ texture diff btwn basal FC and midpack slab. 4F-4F+. ECTN20, CT18Q2. Skied slopes 30-35+ w easily avoided sluffs. Some moist sluffs running on steep easterly-facing runs in ski area.

Snowpack Obsvervation #2 Cracking: Shooting Collapsing: None Persistent Weak Layer: Yes Comments: HS 80. Distinct hardness/ texture diff between basal FC (F) and midpack slab (4F+). ECTP 13. Thin but hard wind slab/ crust from earlier this weak; shooting cracks and triggered small slides on below this on steep test slope. Giving structure to new snow/ slab above.

Avalanches

• Avalanche Description: A few small skier-triggered slides. Expect more and larger w more snow.

	Date	Location/Path	#	Elev	Asp	Type	Trig	SizeR	SizeD
	2016/12/16  †	Richmond Hill	2	TL	E	SS	AS / c	R2	D1
Date: 2016/12/16 (Estimated) Observer: blase reardon Organization: Forecaster, CAIC Area Description: Test slopes above entry to Harris'. Landmark: Richmond Hill Elevation: 11300 ft Sliding Surface: O - Within Old Snow Average Crown: 6 in Maximum Crown: 10 in Average Width: 40 ft Maximum Width: 60 ft Maximum Vertical: 40 ft Comments: Triggered by walking across top of slope. Propagated fast and far. Broke below thin wind slab from earlier this week.
	2016/12/16  †	Richmond Hill	2	<TL	NE	L	AS / c	R1	D1
Date: 2016/12/16 (Estimated) Observer: blase reardon Organization: Forecaster, CAIC Area Description: McFarlane's. Skier's L of A/B ridge. Landmark: Richmond Hill Elevation: 10750 ft Sliding Surface: I - New/Old Interface Weak Layer: Interface Maximum Crown: 6 in Maximum Width: 15 ft Maximum Vertical: 100 ft Comments: Ran slowly but didn't stop til low-angled terrain.

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