Aspen
SnowpackDylan Craaybeek · Mar 22, 2022 · Aspen
Weather
26F, Overcast, and S-1 precipitation at the trailhead at 9:15AM. Snow increased to S1 and remained sporadic throughout the day with winds increasing from Light to Moderate speeds with Moderate snow transport on open meadows below the treeline. 40F and Broken cloud cover back at the trailhead at 3:30 PM.
Snowpack
The slab over persistent weak layer configuration is still very prevalent on all northerly slopes. There are three melt-freeze crusts (MFcr) within the slab on west by northwest slopes with the upper two crusts growing weak the further you move north. North slopes only have one MFcr from the early "March Meltdown" and two layers of clustered rounded grains (MFcl) where the MFcr's exist on more westerly slopes. The persistent weak layer grows weaker the more north you go as well but is showing signs of rounding on all aspects. Extended column tests (ECT) indicate a weaker snowpack as you travel from west to northeast with lower scores before a propagating failure across the column (see image of ECT scores). Two quick pits on southerly slopes show a variety of MFcr's and melt forms all the way to the ground with a height of snow (HS) less than 100cm.