Aspen

Snowpack

Jared Berman · Dec 1, 2020 · Aspen

Weather

Weather was cold definitely below freezing at the trailhead (8900ft) as well as the top of Marble Peak (11,300ft). Winds were non existent below treeline on East facing slopes, however as we gained the ridge of Marble bowl near treeline, we observed moderate winds and strong gusts with snow transportation from the N/NW. Skies were clear in the morning that later developed into mostly broken clouds. There was very light snowfall throughout the afternoon.

Snowpack

Below treeline the snowpack is very thin in the trees. There is only a trace of new snow at these elevations. As we began to approach treeline, east facing slopes varied from icy to windpacked to soft dependent mostly on elevation and location in terrain. New snow at these elevations was still minimal but we did find several inches of wind drifted snow on SE facing slopes below ridgelines. At the summit of Marble Peak we observed active snow transportation from the N/NW (see photos below). We did not observe snowpack structure today.