Vail & Summit County
SnowpackJeremiah Primmer · Feb 19, 2022 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Watched blowing snow all day but most of it was blowing away with a little bit loading on SE slopes near treeline and above.
Snowpack
One the way up, we found a supportable snowpack below the trees with no Loose Dry avalanche concerns on northeast, east, or southeast-facing slopes. Near treeline, we started to see small wind slabs. Most were small and isolated and were one finger to 4 fingers hard, and they were sitting on buried near surface facets. Most of the cracking was limited to underfoot, with a couple of short cracks extending a few feet out, and we were able to knock off a few very small blocks. Above the treeline, the wind slabs are thin and stubborn, sitting on very firm previous wind slabs. On east and southeast-facing slopes, we found softer slabs that were more reactive but very small and would only be a concern in extreme terrain.