Aspen
AvalancheMatt Huber · Mar 21, 2020 · Aspen
Weather
Scattered clouds in the morning increased to overcast skies by mid-afternoon, helping to limit warming and wet avalanche concerns. Temperatures remained in the teens above treeline at 12:30. Light southerly winds were not strong enough for drifting snow, but had previously scoured ridgelines above treeline. Near and below treeline, temperatures and periods of sun warmed surface snow enough for rollerballs and liberal skinwax.
Snowpack
Above treeline, shooting cracks in fresh wind slabs were limited to directly below ridgline, with the slab quickly fading within 10-15 feet of the the ridge. At 11,500 feet on a north-facing slope, about 30 centimeters of recent storm snow (fist) is resting on a thin melt-freeze crust/facet combination. Extended column tests produced moderate, non-propagating results on this layer. No other results could be forced out of the 185 cm snowpack. Below treeline, storm snow was not deep enough to cause wet avalanche concerns, near and above temperatures and cloud cover limited surface snow from becoming wet
Avalanche
Only a few very small loose dry point releases, seen in little Italian Basin