Vail & Summit County
AvalancheJason Konigsberg, Austin Divesta · Jan 6, 2024 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
30 cm of new snow estimated at 3 to 5 % density. No wind in the area we traveled. Winds picked up slightly and there was light drifting as we finished our day.
Snowpack
The snowpack is now 1 meter deep thanks to the recent snow. Before the new snow, the snowpack depth was about 70 cm which is a little shallower than the main spine of the Gore Range. The weakest layer is the most recent near-surface facets that were buried by the 30 cm of new snow. This layer is not concerning in sheltered areas, and the main hazard in steep below-treeline terrain is Loose Dry avalanches. This layer will become the primary layer of concern as the winds drift snow into slabs and/or the newest snow settles into a slab. The latter is not too concerning with cold temperatures.
Avalanche
A couple long-running Loose Dry avalanches in the bigger mountains of the Gore Range, not where we were at.