Vail & Summit County
AvalancheRyan Lewthwaite Kreston Rohrig · Nov 30, 2019 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
A cold and windy day in the Copper Mountain area. There were moderate to strong winds predominately from the west, but also swirling for much of the afternoon. Wind drifting was apparent as soft snow was actively transported by the winds to lee aspects. At Janet's Cabin the thermometer was reading 17F with a wind chill well below zero. The skies were overcast and visibility was low.
Snowpack
The distribution of snow in this area is uneven, with some slopes holding half a meter and others with protruding vegetation. In most below treeline terrain there is soft snow on top of the ground with very little structure. As you climb to near treeline areas, you will find the deepest snowpack ranging from 40-60 cm. The snowpack near treeline has been gaining depth from wind transported snow and firm slabs are forming. Both cracking and whumphing of these wind-drifted slabs was observed. These are indicators of hard snow overlying soft snow which can make for unstable avalanche conditions. Above treeline, many slopes were losing snow due to high winds. Only deep, cross-loaded gullies or protected leeward features were holding snow. In the area of Janet's Cabin a man was fully buried by a slab avalanche on Thanksgiving Day, and luckily was recovered unharmed by his nearby family. This occurred in an above treeline exposed area that had previous wind-drifted slabs and persistent slab avalanche hazards.
Avalanche
None observed from recent days.