Aspen
AvalancheBrandon Levy · Feb 4, 2022 · Aspen
Weather
Cold morning with -7F in the Crystal Valley and a 10 degree temperature inversion to the road summit of McClure Pass. There were some low plumes of blowing snow on Sopris and Daly in the morning and I didn't observe any flagging around midday.
Snowpack
There was 8mm surface hoar on the snow surface this morning on McClure Pass. Near the snow surface there was 10cm of decomposing fragments from the early February storm over 20cms of near-surface faceted grains. This 30cms of weak snow rests on a mid-pack that has started to degrade but is still generally 1F hard on the hand hardness scale. The basal facets are 1mm larger than a month ago but have gained some resistance nonetheless. A propagation saw test resulted in a PST 75/110 End down 110cms on those 4mm basal facets.
Avalanche
Human-triggered loose dry avalanches in Raspberry Creek are coded in a separate observation.