Aspen
AvalancheBrian Lazar · Mar 29, 2020 · Gunnison
Weather
Day started off cool and mostly sunny. It warmed up quickly and was starting to get hot before clouds to started to fill in around 11AM. Skies were overcast by 11:30AM, and temperatures stayed on the cooler side. Mostly calm with only a slight breeze at ridgetop in the alpine
Snowpack
Average height of snowpack on southeast facing terrain around 11,400ft is 165cm. The snowpack throughout is a layer cake of crusts interrupted by softer snow that shows signs of prior wetting to ground. The most concerning interfaces are crust-facet combinations in the upper 50cm of the snowpack. The upper-most crust sits 20cm deep below the recent storm snow. This interface is a minor issue right now as the overlying snow is mostly soft. You can find stiffer wind-drifted slabs in exposed areas along protruding ribs and below cornices. From distant observation, I suspect this might be a bigger concern in more wind-affected terrain above 12,000 feet. The brief period of warm temperatures and sun this morning cuased moistening and settlement of the recent snow, so this interface is one to watch over the next few days, with slabs breaking 8-10 inches deep. Around 45cm is a crust-facet combination buried on 3/18. This interface was reactive in ECTs with hard shoulder taps and sudden planar results. The underlying crust is table-top smooth and doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.
Avalanche
Just one D1 Loose Wet avalanche on north-facing terrain on Whitehouse Mtn. coming out of very steep rocky terrain.