Vail & Summit County

Snowpack

Jeremy Primmer · Dec 2, 2021 · Vail & Summit County

Weather

Unusually warm, t-shirt weather for most of the day. Clear and sunny all day.

Snowpack

I found a very variable snowpack today. Consistent snow coverage started around 10,000’ with south and southeast facing aspects having more snow than I expected. On low angle south and southeast aspects below the treeline, the snowpack was supportable, and the surface was starting to corn up. Near the treeline, south and southeast aspects held 50cm of snow with a breakable melt-freeze crust at the surface and moist rounding facets under that. On steeper south and southeast slopes, the snowpack has melted away. Shaded east and northeast aspects held a completely faceted snowpack. I skied across some small wind features but could not get any cracking or collapsing. I dug a pit near the treeline on a northeast-facing slope, and even though there was a one-finger hard slab sitting on advanced facets, I did not get any propagating results. There was surface hoar growing just about everywhere near the treeline and on shaded slopes below the treeline. It is about 2 cm in protected areas and standing straight up, and on open slopes, it is closer to 5mm and wilting from the warm temperatures and the sun.