Vail & Summit County

Avalanche

Kreston Rohrig · Dec 23, 2020 · Vail & Summit County

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Weather

Overcast and windy, we could hear the winds whipping up high. Even below treeline on opens slopes were getting some upslope affect.

Snowpack

The snowpack is very shallow and weak in this area. Lots of low elevation west-facing slopes, so no surprise. Average depth ranged from 20-30cm with more snow in drifted areas. Varying crusts sit below the recent storm snow and are super slick the more southerly the aspect. I did get a small wind-drifted pocket to release on a steep little test slope. Drifted slab on a thin, decomposing crust.

Avalanche

I intentionally triggered a very small avalanche on a steep wind-loaded feature. This newly formed slab failed on a thin crust sandwiched between facets. Though inconsequential, it speaks to the ongoing hazard of slab formation at all elevations.