Aspen
AvalancheDylan Craaybeek · Mar 6, 2025 · Aspen
Weather
Light, wet snow in the morning, increasing in intensity throughout the day, consistently S2 to S4 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Strong winds gusting extreme at the ridgeline blowing a lot of snow.
Snowpack
Including Monday's storm totals, there was about 40-60cm of new snow resting on the old snow surface in wind-sheltered areas, and quickly increasing throughout the day. The most significant snowpack detail I observed today was a stark contrast in the new weak layer of concern with elevation on northwest, north, and northeast-facing slopes. Below about 11,000 feet the old snow surface, prior to the March 3 storm, was mostly just a mix of rounded grains and melt-forms with some slight evidence of faceting while above 11,000 feet the same layer was composed of well-developed near-surface facets and surface hoar. This made a notable difference as it was easy to remotely trigger avalanches on almost every steep, open meadow above 11,000 feet breaking about 40-60cm deep on the old snow surface, while all slab avalanches below this elevation were confined to the new snow and only breaking a few meters wide and 10 to 20cm deep. This new persistent weak layer is the primary concern for triggering dangerous avalanches and it exists on all north-facing slopes I travelled on today above 11,000 feet. I did not travel on east-facing slopes but southeast and south-facing slopes showed no signs of instability and only minor cracking in the new snow on a density change.
Avalanche
Remotely triggered several avalanches on north-facing slopes above 11,000 feet, some from around 100 feet away. Also triggered several small avalanches breaking within the new snow on small, convex rollovers below and near treeline.