Aspen
AvalancheDylan Craaybeek · Feb 28, 2024 · Aspen
Weather
Cold morning (2F in Redstone at 6:00) rapidly warming up to above-freezing temperatures as the sun came up. Calm with an occasional moderate breeze and some intermittent snow transport viewed along ridgelines but inconsistent.
Snowpack
The February 2 persistent weak layer (PWL) remains the PWL of concern. The buried surface hoar is getting more difficult to distinguish as it is rounding significantly and being pushed into the layer above and below but it remains reactive in snowpack tests and was the layer of failure for many long shooting cracks and collapses traveling across entire slopes. The snow surface on southerly and west-facing slopes was getting moist by the end of the day near and below treeline on Green Mountains and some Loose Wet avalanche activity was viewed nearby. Very clear evidence that this and all nearby drainages saw an impressive amount of wind recently with above-treeline westerlies stripped to bare ground and the clear wave-like snow surface texture of wind-loaded slopes observable at all elevations surprisingly low down in the terrain.
Avalanche
Although much less avalanche activity than expected, a natural avalanche cycle of large and very large avalanches took place over the past two days. The largest avalanches were observed on Highlands Ridge above Conundrum Creek and coded here: https://avalanche.state.co.us/observations/field-report/a3430481-8033-462f-81b0-63291042be66 . Several other large avalanches were observed, all on wind-loaded, easterly slopes and several appear to be triggered by cornice falls. Some D1 Loose Wet avalanche activity began occurring this afternoon below cliff bands on southerly slopes.