Vail & Summit County
SnowpackAndrew McWilliams · Nov 25, 2022 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Beautiful morning with few clouds and temperatures just below freezing. Calm winds and ample sunshine.
Snowpack
Small surface hoar crystals were widespread below treeline, but as soon as I got above 11,000 feet it was being destroyed by the sun and/or warm temperatures. I made it up to the near treeline elevation band and dug on an east aspect. The snowpack up to this point was composed entirely of facets and I did not make it high enough to find any old wind drifts or slabs. The top 5cm of the snowpack was composed of near-surface facets. The height of snow ranged from 25cm to 50cm and four-finger to fist hardness. Basal facets had obvious striations, but no cupping or chains. On a test slope, I got the entire snow height to begin to Loose Dry sluff, but it arrested due to a lack of steepness - the bed surface was smooth and grassy. Overall coverage was very thin, especially on southerly aspects. Most southerly aspects had large areas of bare ground. Areas turned slightly more to the east and terrain features that catch snow had the most snow on these aspects.