Vail & Summit County
SnowpackDrew Gibson · Jan 19, 2023 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Clear and cold in the morning with increasing high clouds through the day. Single digits at the trailhead at 1030. Mostly calm in the basin.
Snowpack
Obvious signs of wind loading above treeline on slopes lee to the NW. Some exposed, planar, slopes at ridgecrest were wind stripped or wind hammered. Traveling through the basin, average HS was >150cm and up to 200cm in places. On average 20cm-35cm of new snow. No signs of instability were observed. The only avalanche activity observed were very small pockets of mid-storm wind slab, on steep NE and a few E facing slopes in chutes and couloirs. Crowns were very filled in and we were unable to determine size and all debris arrested in the tracks. In one snowpit the mid-pack was approximately 50cm with a mix of layers, 1 Finger minus to Pencil hard. The only remarkable test score was an ECTP26 on larger facets 22cm above the ground. Descending toward North Ten Mile Creek the snowpack was supportive until closer to 10,400ft where the snowpack was shallower. On north aspects hard slash turns on very steep slopes would cause the facets to sluff out where the HS was <50cm. In more open terrain at this elevation the mid-pack was 4 finger to 1 finger and supportive despite <1m depth. Travelling out the valley floor below 10,000ft through open meadows no signs of instability were observed. On more sun exposed slopes a very thin melt freeze crust was resting under the 20cm-25cm of new snow and seemed to be bonding well.