Vail & Summit County
SnowpackJason Konigsberg · Mar 3, 2017 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Although temperatures were below freezing, it felt very warm in sheltered areas. Light winds near treeline and no wind loading.
Snowpack
The snowpack west of Vail Pass is very different than the east side of the zone. With up to 20 inches in the last week there is a significant slab that rests on crusts and weak layers. I looked at mainly southeast and east slopes and the snowpack structure is not great. The main concern is east-facing slopes as very weak faceted snow rests beneath a thin and collapsible melt-freeze crust at 40 cms from the surface. Results in an extended column test were ECTP15...Southeast slopes have a slightly thicker and stronger crust but with a large load or large trigger it would still be possible to collapse faceted snow beneath the crust. While digging my snowpit on a small but steep test slope, I experienced a loud collapse...One large avalanche that likely occurred around 2/28 was observed on an east-facing near treeline slope. (See avalanche obs)...The snow surface became moist today on southerly aspects near and below treeline. Small Loose Wet avalanches occurred in rocky terrain on a southeast slope.