Aspen
AvalancheMatt Huber · Mar 2, 2020 · Aspen
Weather
Snow showers continued most of the day, with a few moments of isolated sunshine that made it feel very warm, springlike and stuffy. Minimal evidence of wind-drifting below 12,700 feet, and the only noticeable wind-effect was at or just below ridgelines higher than that, pockets of 30-50 cm soft slabs quickly dissipated once I dropped off ridgeline
Snowpack
Very minimal signs of instability in the new snow, shooting cracks were seen only on ridgelines and in the highest elevations, traveling less than a few meters in front of me. On a southeast facing slope near treeline, the snowpack was about a meter deep. A fragile crust had already developed in the new snow during a break in the clouds this morning, with several centimeters of new snow resting on top. Hard, propagating Extended Column tests failed on remnants of a crust/facet layer about 30 centimeters from the ground
Avalanche
Very small, loose dry point releases in steep cliffy terrain and a shallow 15 centimeter soft slab from the Baldy Headwall. 12,700 on an east-facing slope