Vail & Summit County
SnowpackJason Konigsberg, Ryan Zarter · Jan 22, 2025 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Cold and windy
Snowpack
We didn't observe any obvious signs of instability or get any alarming results in stability tests. The only sign of a snowpack that could still produce avalanches was a recent natural avalanche near treeline on a recently loaded east-facing slope. The snow depth at 11,000 feet on a northeast-facing slope was 120 cm. In a snowpit we dug here we got results of ECTX in an Extended Column Test. The snow height gradually increased to 140 to 150 cm on east and northeast-facing slopes near treeline. We got the same results on an east-facing slope at 11,500 feet. We traveled to a southeast-facing slope and found a snowpack 115 cm deep. On this southeast-facing slope, the weak layer buried 60 cm from the surface was much softer than we found in previous pits. We expected to get a result in propagating results in an ECT, but two tests resulted in ECTX. The recent avalanche we observed and the lack of instability we observed in our travels, indicate wind-loaded slopes are where you are most likely to trigger an avalanche, and slopes with even snow coverage and less recent loading are much less likely to produce avalanches.