Aspen

Snowpack

Colin Mitchell · Feb 18, 2016 · Aspen

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Weather

Cloudy with light rain up to the top of the pass, where wet snow was falling and sticking to the road. Blustery. Winds were moderate and gusty at pass level, light and variable in the valley.

Snowpack

Melting continued overnight and there was a noticeable difference along the road from yesterday. Snow in the study plot on top of the pass was wet down about 10 cm, moist below that. HS varies substantially by aspect, with sunny areas 0-12" amd a lot of bare ground showing on steep S-W facing slopes. N-E aspects still holding plenty of snow, HS 18-48". The heatwave started to affect these aspects in earnest yesterday, with some loose slide activity below treeline. The snow surface is a m/f crust on all aspects below treeline now.