Aspen
AvalancheBrian Lazar · Apr 17, 2020 · Gunnison
Weather
Cool early in the morning and then quickly warming with mostly calm conditions and ample sunshine. Just a slight southwest breeze at ridgeline
Snowpack
Average snowpack depth still hovers just below 3m at 10,800 ft, and over 3m above 11,000 ft. There is 40cm of recent storm with a notable density change halfway through the storm snow, with F hard snow over 4F hard snow. This storm snow rests on a 5cm thick layer of buried near-surface facets (1mm in size) that formed in the cold spell prior to the storm. This layer was consistently reactive in snowpack tests with moderate force. It would propagate failures in some, but not all, large columns tests. This interface is likely to produce easy-to-trigger and surprising avalanches on slopes over 35 degrees for the next day or two. Underlying layers are not a concern at this time until the stout melt-freeze crust buried around 50cm deep degrades. The new snow was starting to get wet at lower elevations by 10am, and is primed for a shedding cycle of wet avalanche activity late today and possible tomorrow if it has not run it's course yet. Any lower elevation slopes that got sun will have crusts on them tomorrow.
Avalanche
One natural Storm Slab avalanche ran in the last 18 hours or so, on a north northeast-facing slope right at ridgeline. Otherwise only small dry sluffs up high, and small Loose Wet avalanches at lower elevations by 11AM. Expect more wet avalanches later today.