Aspen
SnowpackBrandon Levy · Dec 13, 2019 · Aspen
Weather
Overcast to broken skies. Temperature was hovering around 30F and winds were intermittent and gusty at this below treeline location with light wind loading observed to East facing slopes. However, the clouds were moving which was confirmed by the sustained Northwest winds (30-40 mph) at nearby and higher Cinnamon Mountain. Periods of S-1 (less than 1cm per hour of snowfall) were observed throughout the morning and early afternoon.
Snowpack
Snow depth ranged from 2' at the summit of McClure to 4' on the Northeast facing slopes above Bears Gulch below Huntsmans Ridge. Graupel on the surface and a graupel layer cake in the upper snowpack. Two layers of surface hoar in the midpack with the lower layer producing a propagating result in long column test (ECTP23 down 56 cms on 4mm SH). Depth hoar was present but interspersed with a melt-freeze crust at the base of the snowpack. No collapsing observed and minimal localized cracking in the storm snow when pushing on the small slopes above an existing skin track. The West facing approach is much shallower with a snowdepth of 2' and a thin 2cm melt freeze crust down 45 cms.