Vail & Summit County

Avalanche

Kreston Rohrig · Dec 7, 2018 · Vail & Summit County

View on map

Weather

Nice day with scattered clouds and calm wind. 4-6" of very low density snow in most areas with very little transport.

Snowpack

Below treeline the snowpack is getting deeper. HS ranged from 50-90cm. The upper snowpack is settling and gaining strength but is still far from developing a robust slab. Probing to the ground is still easy and the snowpack is generally weak. Near and above treeline the story is different. Slabs, especially in wind-drifted areas are now 2-3' thick and rest above weaker snow that is slowly bonding. Overall, stability in the area observed is improving. HS ranged from 70cm to 140 above the old crownline from 12/2. Pit profile attached

Avalanche

I spoke with the Forest Service folks out in the field and they said a skier triggered a small avalanche in the area. They spoke with the person who triggered the slide and were going to gather more information. From a distance I could see a small D1-D1.5 avalanche on a west facing slope near treeline. The slope is very open and showing signs of recent wind-loading/drifting. It's a very small path and the snowpack looks very thin.