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Slide danger

Joel Stonington

Aspen, CO ColoradoAvalanche danger on most slopes in the Roaring Fork Valley has been considerable for quite some time. “We’ve seen avalanche activity on every aspect except south and southwest,” said Roaring Fork Avalanche Center director Brian McCall. “It’s all over the compass. We have a lot of weak layers towards the base of the snowpack. The last big snow tipped the balance on those weak layers.”There have been numerous natural and human-induced slides in the area this week, though the rating could come down a notch if things warm up. McCall’s group noted one natural and one human-triggered avalanche Tuesday near the Barnard Hut on Richmond Ridge. Crowns were up to 6 feet deep, with car-sized blocks among the debris. Also, the 1,500-foot-long avalanche this week in the Maroon Creek Valley was large enough to cover a car and reached Maroon Creek Road. Though the warm may settle things down, the avalanche danger is still considerable on most slopes throughout the valley. The avalanche center warns of moderate danger on slopes below treeline, though there are pockets of considerable danger on northwest, northeast and southeast aspects.”At this point stability is probably improving,” McCall said. “We’re past the peak. But it would be easy to go out and trigger an avalanche.”