Vail & Summit County
AvalancheAnonymous · Apr 3, 2019 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
overcast, high 20's, winds about 30 at summit
Snowpack
We did not dig a pit, this is observations based on skinning/boot packing and ski descent so not entirely scientific comments. On the face we found wind slabs of 2-5 inches that easily released on top of 4-6 inches of new snow. New snow sitting on top of solid layer. Both while ascending and descending the wind slab would release easily but was not cohesive and minimal propagation - easily managed with common sluff management skills. It never stepped down either during ascent or descent.
Avalanche
None observed during tour. I guess technically we released some R1 D1 during the descent. Potentially without proper management they could have taken someone off their skis.