Vail & Summit County
SnowpackJason Konigsberg, Ron Simenhois · Nov 25, 2016 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Temp. taken from Vail Pass wx station. HS varied from 2 to 4 inches on west and south aspects to 1 to 2 feet on northerly aspects.
Snowpack
Near treeline slopes that face north and northeast have a varied snowpack. In some areas the basal layer is large fist hardness depth hoar. In other areas, not to far away, the basal layer is a hard layer of small and nonreactive depth hoar. This demonstrates that the snow that existed prior to November 18th, that comprises this basal layer, is spatially variable and there is not a continuous weak layer across a slope... A continuous weak layer that we found on north and northeast slopes is a very thin layer of facets on top of a wind crust at approx. 15 cms down... An easterly aspect that we looked at near treeline had a very thin layer of facets at the ground that was mostly nonreactive in test. Many easterly slopes are very thin (3 to 6 inch depth) and rocky except for small areas near ridgeline that were previously wind loaded.