Vail & Summit County
AvalancheDrew Gibson · Apr 7, 2023 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Mostly clear skies with light to moderate west winds at ridgecrest. 34F at trailhead at 1030.
Snowpack
Surface snow on westerly aspects below treeline was warming and becoming dense by 1100. By 1200 wind-sheltered surface snow was moist. Traveling onto northeast-facing terrain near treeline the surface snow was also feeling the effects of the sun in the afternoon. A pit near treeline showed a 7cm thick melt-freeze crust that has been building over the last 24hrs. The crust was softer during the warmest part of the day with a defined slush layer on the bottom. The snow below the crust was becoming moist up to 5cm below. No free water was noted below this. The weak layers in the upper snowpack are showing signs of rounding but are still moderately reactive. Compression and Extended Column Test Score were mostly within the top 30cm of the snowpack. Though the wind speeds were moderate out of the west, below ridgecrest was mostly calm. Surface snow below the cornice line on a northeast-facing slope is becoming denser with direct sunlight but is not becoming moist due to the wind. We witnessed little snow transport. One avalanche was observed, likely from the April 1st cycle. It was persistent in nature, failing below the cornice line on likely upper snowpack persistent weak layers. Surface snow near and below treeline on west-facing slopes was wet with the direct sun. Free water was percolating up to 10cm down wetting out the cold snow. Some westerly-facing slopes are also completely unsupportive under the old melt-freeze crust.
Avalanche
Old slide likely from 4/1