Vail & Summit County

Snowpack

Jason Konigsberg · Nov 23, 2018 · Vail & Summit County

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Weather

Light snow showers (S-1) from 1 PM until 3 PM with moderate to strong winds at ridgetop. Snow stopped around 3 PM and the winds seemed to back off a bit. 24 hour snow total (HN24) about 5" near treeline.

Snowpack

The wind is moving a lot of snow onto easterly slopes just below ridgetop. Thick, dense slabs up to 2 feet thick have formed. These slabs don't extend very far down slope in the area that I was in. I would imagine this to be very different in more exposed terrain. Cornices are also forming and are reactive to the weight of a person. Shooting cracks in any wind-drifted snow. On below-treeline southerly slopes there is not much hazard to speak of and I did not observe any signs of instability.