Vail & Summit County
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Dec 31, 2023 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Calm winds, mostly cloudy with some breaks of sun, and mild.
Snowpack
The Observation Summary covers east-facing near treeline. Snowpack depth near treeline ranges from 80 cm to 150 cm where drifted. Additionally, large cornice chunks fell on to steep east-facing slopes in the Lost Lake cirque with only one avalanche noted (see Avalanche Summary). Below treeline, the snowpack is shallow and mostly faceted, yet somehow still supportable. Snow depth ranges from 30 to 60 cm. West-facing slopes are faceted and soft with no crusts. These below treeline slopes will be an issue when a slab forms. Southwest-facing slopes have multiple buried crusts with fist-hard facets sandwiched in between.
Avalanche
Old avalanche likely from around 12/25 with northerly winds. It looks like it broke on the upper snowpack persistent weak layer. It didn't look like it gouged to the ground.