Field Report
Aspen - CO
Report Information
Widespread avalanche activity from the November 27 throughout upper Castle Creek and a surprisingly quiet and seemingly stable snowpack today with some Wind Slab development at higher elevations.
Ashcroft, Castle Creek
Ashcroft up Castle Creek to around 12,000 feet above the Tagert and Green Wilson huts then back down the same route.
Avalanches
Upper Castle Creek did not miss out on this avalanche cycle. There are many small avalanches along road cuts and on steep slopes directly above Castle Creek below treeline on all aspects. The more significant avalanche activity occurred on larger slopes near and above treeline, also on all aspects with the largest avalanches being on east and northeast-facing slopes above treeline. Basically every major avalanche path that threatens the road heading up Castle Creek had an avalanche with Durr 1 being the only one that nearly made it to the valley floor.
|
i
Expand to see more details
|
Date | # | Elev | Asp | Type | Trig | SizeR | SizeD | Problem Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
11/27/2024
|
8 | >TL | E | SS | N | R1 | D2 | Persistent Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Cliffs above Hidden Valley just south of Castle Peak |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
2 | >TL | E | SS | N | R1 | D2 | Storm Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Castle Peak east face |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
2 | >TL | SE | SS | N | R2 | D2 | Persistent Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Gendarme Ridge just south of Castle Peak |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
3 | TL | SE | SS | N | R2 | D1.5 | Storm Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Southeast-facing slopes across the creek from Tagert and Green Wilson huts.
Avalanche Comments
One of the avalanches put a couple feet of debris where the skin track to the huts often is. |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
3 | TL | N | SS | N | R1 | D1.5 | Storm Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Northerly slopes lower down on Greg Mace Peak |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
4 | TL | NE | SS | N | R2 | D1 | Storm Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Slopes below cliffs near the Backyard and the Front Yard |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
6 | <TL | All | SS | N | R2 | D1 | Persistent Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Steep sections below Pearl Pass Road above Castle Creek before getting to the Tagert Hut. |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
1 | TL | N | SS | N | R2 | D2 | Persistent Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Cliffs above Lindley Hut on the northwest slopes of Taylor Peak |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
5 | >TL | SE | SS | N | R1 | D2 | Storm Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
South Kellogg, Foot Bridge, Sheep 1 & 2, Slate Peak Shoulder
Avalanche Comments
All large enough to bury a person but none of them made it to the valley floor, Sheep 2 and Slate Peak Shoulder debris piles made it close to the creek though. |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
1 | >TL | E | SS | N | R1 | D2.5 |
|
||
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Durr 1 |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
1 | >TL | SE | SS | N | R1 | D2 | Storm Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Leahy Peak |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
1 | >TL | E | SS | N | R1 | D2 | Storm Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Durr 3 |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
2 | TL | E | SS | N | R1 | D2 | Storm Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
North Kellogg and Foot Bridge, easterly facing aspects of start zones |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
3 | >TL | NE | SS | N | R1 | D2 | Storm Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Area Description
Northeast slopes of Candle Peak |
||||||||||
|
11/27/2024
|
1 | TL | NW | SS | N | R2 | D1 | Persistent Slab |
|
|
|
Date and Time
11/27/2024 -
12:00am
(estimated)
Location
38.998
-106.84
Start Zone Elevation
11,400 ft
Avg Width
550 ft
Area Description
The steep slope below the road cut just above the Tagert and Green Wilson Huts
Avalanche Comments
The widest avalanche I have seen on this small terrain feature. |
||||||||||
Multiple Avalanches
Snowpack
The snowpack is consistently a meter deep near the Tagert and Green Wilson huts. The bottom 40cm or so is composed of relatively small rounding facets while the top 60cm is all from the last storm. There is a clear melt form layer within the new snow, similar to the Raggeds. Snowpack tests on northeast, north, and northwest-facing slopes near and above treeline show mostly stable results with extended column tests getting non-propagating failures and propagation saw tests getting self-arresting fractures. There was noticeable Wind Slab development above treeline on convex rollovers. These were the only terrain features we could get cracking in the new snow. Some small collapses only occasionally associated with cracking occurred only below treeline, not near or above. A full-profile snow pit dug about 250 feet to the northwest of the new Castle Creek SNOTEL station measured .4 additional inches of SWE in a less wind-affected meadow.
Weather
Very cold morning with below zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures warming up to the high teens and low twenties by the afternoon. Clear sky and moderate west winds with noticeable snow transport along ridgelines and above treeline.