Aspen
AvalancheBrandon Levy · Mar 7, 2021 · Aspen
Weather
Already warm to start the morning. Overnight low was 33F at the summit elevation. There was a temperature inversion in place with 20F observed at the turn to Marble and above freezing temperature at the summit upon arrival at 0730. The wind and cloud cover increased throughout the day with still air giving way to a light southwest breeze and high thin clouds and contrails adding up to be scattered cloud cover by 1100 am.
Snowpack
Parking lot was frozen when I arrived at the summit at 0730. When I approached the study plot location above Lone Tree Bowl at 0900 the surface snow on east-facing slopes was barely and thinly crusted. I observed an air temperature of 40F at 9700' at 0930 and the surface snow on east-facing slopes was wet by 0930 and moist at the profile location slightly north of east. The snow on the ground is trending toward a homogenous composition. There was evidence that melt-water had reached the top of the layer of faceted grains buried in mid January as there was an intermittent ice layer at that depth (65cms from the ground). The ice was present in locations where the water pooled and not present where the water drained. Boot penetration was 30cms.
Avalanche
Small loose wet sluffs to the ditch from a few areas that still have continuous snow (e.g. Long Cutbank)