Aspen

Avalanche

Mike Cooperstein · Mar 11, 2016 · Aspen

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Weather

Clear, Calm, Very Warm Day.

Snowpack

The snow surface started off cold, but it quickly became moist even on northerly facing aspects below treeline. On north and northwest-facing slopes near and above treeline the surface remained cooler and dry. We found a well consolidated snowpack composed mostly of rounded or rounding crystals. Hard depth hoar still lingers at the ground, but even this layer is showing signs of bonding and gaining strength.

Avalanche

We observed Loose Wet avalanches on steep slopes facing east through southeast to south. They were small and only entrained surface snow. None appeared big enough to injure a skier.