Vail & Summit County

Snowpack

Near and below treeline, snowpack is thin and discontinuous on most aspects. Only N and NNE aspects near treeline had sufficient snow for sliding activities. On these slopes, HS ranged from 50-75cm and was comprised almost entirely of facets, ranging from fist to 4F in hardness. A moderately strong, pencil crust capped approximately 5-10cm of large depth hoar grains at the ground. The faceted layers above the crust generally lacked enough cohesion to form a slab in hasty pits. Skiing quality was generally good and no signs of instability were observed beyond minor loose snow sluffs in the top 5-10cm. We did not travel above treeline but snow cover was patchy and discontinuous on most aspects.