Vail & Summit County
SnowpackJeff Welch · Dec 12, 2015 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Overcast, snowing S1-S2, very fine flakes. Minimal accumulation through the day.
Snowpack
Dug pit, north facing near treeline 11,600'. HS 84cm. Approx 10cm new snow on thin crust. Under the crust the snowpack was entirely comprised of facets of varying size. Some subtle changes in density but all in the 4F range. ECT did not produce results. Shovel shear produced clean Q1 shear at new snow/crust interface. In the old snow, shovel shear pulled through the column with difficulty rather than producing a fracture. Basically, there was minimal to no slab in the old snow. Experienced minor sloughing in the new snow on very steep rollovers. With 4" of new snow this was not an issue, but with more new snow the new/old interface could be problematic. No other signs of instability observed.