Vail & Summit County
SnowpackKyle Lefkoff · Feb 12, 2016 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Clear, light wind, warming to +40 degrees F. These observations were from a survey pit in North Facing terrain below and slightly east of Main Chute at an altitude of 3,350 meters.
Snowpack
After five days of warm, clear weather with chilly nights, the Vail snowpack appears to be well settled. We observed no obvious signs of activity in our tour. We expected to find a supportable snowpack at treeline for soft turns, but instead observed: HS 195 CT16 failed on the Jan. 27 surface hoar layer, Q1 shear down 50cm ECTP22 failed on the Jan. 27 surface hoar layer, Q1 shear down 50cm. These are big hoar crystals at the interface, 4-5mm in diameter and highly reactive in both tests. We determined that the 35 degree slopes of the Main Chute were not safe to ski today, and we elected to descend. Our party felt noticeable settlement in the low angle terrain at the base of the Main Chute. Our conclusion is that the Jan. 27 surface hoar is now 50cm down in a dense, well settled snowpack, but in favored areas like Mushroom Bowl, represents a deep instability with the high likelihood of generating a large avalanche under skier load.