Aspen
SnowpackBrian Lazar · Nov 4, 2019 · Gunnison
Weather
Warm, calm, and sunny.
Snowpack
Snowpack is thin and rapidly getting thinner with warm temperatures and ample sunshine. Below 10,750 ft only cold north-facing terrain has a continuous snowpack with average height of snow around 20cm. All other aspects are melting back to bare ground quickly. Around 11,000 ft snow becomes more continuous but thin, with HS generally 20-30cm. South aspects are melting back to bare ground into the alpine. East-facing slopes have a weak melt-freeze crust and associated facets about 10cm deep. North-facing terrain has areas with snowpack depths exceeding 50cm and a thin layer of small facets around 30cm deep that formed between Oct. storms. There is a thin (10cm thick) 1F hard slab over these facets that would pop off with the shovel, but not a continuous enough slab to pose a hazard at this time. Slabs are only a few meters across, and isolated in the terrain. This slab-facet combo is an interface to keep an eye on.