Vail & Summit County
SnowpackBill Hoblitzell · Feb 21, 2021 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Sunny, warm, and light winds, clouds increasing through day with winds increasing to moderate.
Snowpack
Wooded areas on E, W, and N aspects below 10,500 are still lacking much of a supportable midpack. Above 10,500' snow depths ranged from 80-150cm and had a supportable midpack. While ascending from 10,000'-11,500', we occasionally still experienced localized collapses (~< 10m radius from skin track). One notable rumbling collapse w/ shooting cracks (30-50m+ radius) occurred on a ridgeline at ~11,500' in a flat treeless meadow. SE-SW snow surfaces in this area below 11,000' warmed to the point of getting wet by Saturday afternoon and probably now have 1-2cm surface crusts. E slopes on the way out had facety skiing, 50-100cm deep, with lots of exposure to objective hazard like wood/rocks. On S facing slopes at low elevations in this zone, there is very little snow in general.