Vail & Summit County
AvalancheCooper Warrington · May 11, 2025 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
In our pre-trip plan, we set a firm turnaround time of 12:00 p.m., recognizing that solar radiation would make skiing unsafe beyond that point. Despite this, we underestimated conditions. The day was more overcast than forecasted, which gave us a false sense of security regarding surface stability. We reached our transition point just before noon and, based on the lingering cloud cover and timing, judged it was still early enough to proceed. In hindsight, the warming had already done its work - clouds or not - and we had pushed past our ideal window.
Snowpack
After descending approximately 500 vertical feet, the snowpack transitioned rapidly from supportable and fairly firm to unsupportable slush. The upper section held up well under ski, but lower down, free water in the top layers caused the surface to become saturated and punchy, significantly increasing the likelihood of wet loose activity and making skiing more hazardous.
Avalanche
Tenmile peak, North facing aspect, 12,200