Vail & Summit County
SnowpackIan Hoyer · Mar 8, 2016 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Beautiful and warm day. No wind near treeline and no visible drifting at higher elevations. Just a few puffy cloudy.
Snowpack
4-5 inches of new snow appeared well bonded to the old snow surface. The new snow was remarkable unaffected by wind. No slabbing at all, even in exposed areas, but I could see a little bit of drifting above treeline. I saw a tiny bit of surface hoar at the surface, but it wasn't widespread and will likely break down with the warm temps. By early afternoon the new snow had gotten a little sticky, but it was only roller-balling, not sluffing. The lower snowpack was entirely supportable on skis and foot. Stout crusts sat just under the new snow on sunny slopes. An ECT on an east aspect near treeline showed propagation potential on facets underneath two of these crusts. Also got propagating results on mid-pack facets around 50 cm down on a NE aspect near treeline, on a slope without a good crust. The lower snowpack is rounding and gaining strength.