Vail & Summit County

Snowpack

Mike Floyd · Feb 23, 2021 · Vail & Summit County

Weather

Mostly clear and windy. Ridgetop wind 26 mph avg out of the west. Gusting in the 40s at ridgetop. 21 F at ridgetop; 29 F in the trees near the trailhead.

Snowpack

The HS in wind-loaded areas is 120-180+ cm. The entire area is heavily wind-affected and windward aspects near and above treeline are thin. Where you transition from deep to shallow or vice versa are likely trigger points for avalanches. This is where you can affect the weak snow underneath the recent slab. Exactly where to find this is not always obvious, but the eastern half of the compass is a good starting point. The lower half of the snowpack is a mixture of weak, thin crusts and facets. The new snow in February comprises a supportable slab where the wind hasn't eroded it. There is weak snow underneath, near the ground, where snow remains after all of the season's previous wind events. A quick stability test on a SW aspect near treeline had no propagating result in 90 cm HS. (ECTx) Still, I'd expect any deep-breaking avalanche to propagate a wide fracture if you find the wrong/right spot. I saw no recent avalanches.