Aspen
AvalancheJewel Campbell, Brandon Levy · Dec 20, 2023 · Aspen
Weather
It was warm with a light westerly breeze. Clouds increased throughout the day becoming overcast by the afternoon
Snowpack
The snowpack was shallow--around 50-60cms-- and the ski penetration was variable ranging from 0 to 30cms. The snow surface is weak and the enitre snowpack is largley composed of faceted grains. On a southwest-facing slope representative of the nearby Waterhole #1 highway path above SH82, there was no depth hoar grains at the base of the snowpack; however the crust/facet combination was present on the surface and represents the layer of concern on those sunnier slopes that didn't harbor older snow from October or early November. West-facing slopes held weak snow near the ground and the same facet/crust combination or simply faceted snow on the surface largely depending on slope angle. Several west-facing slopes with more exposure were almost bare due to recent periods of strong westerly winds.
Avalanche
We saw several older avalanches on east and northeast aspects that likely occured around December 8th.