Aspen

Snowpack

Colin Mitchell · Jan 10, 2015 · Aspen

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Weather

Very warm and sunny. Snow was melting on exposed pit walls faster than I could clean them.

Snowpack

HS averaged 70 cm. Surface was surface hoar over a melt freeze crust about 3 cm thick. SH was melting by end of day on this Westerly aspect but was preserved on nearby Easterly aspects. East aspects had SH up to 2.5 cm. Below the crust was about 15 cm of F hard snow, with a 4F-1F hard slab about 30 cm thick below that. Underneath were F+ to 4F facets and DH to the ground. All layers were moist, even in the shade. CT results were mod to hard on facets. Propagating a slab on this slope seemed quite unlikely. No time for more detailed obs.