Vail & Summit County
AvalancheKreston Rohrig · Apr 1, 2021 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Warm and sunny sums up the day, but thankfully, just enough of a breeze kept near and above treeline slopes from getting too warm and sloppy.
Snowpack
The day was warm, but snow surfaces weren't fully getting wet. Even southerly aspects below treeline, which would be the first to go, were hanging in there with moist but not wet snow at the surface. I poked around on a few different aspects and found layering you might expect as you worked around the compass. South-facing slopes near treeline were significantly wind-affected, but generally had a mess of preserved crusts and facets below the surface. Warm temps through March made a very stratified layering setup which might could be problematic once temps spike and water moves through the snowpack. Around most crusts were layers of weaker facets that could easily fail if wetted. East-facing terrain above treeline was thick, dense, and less of a concern. The north side of the compass was still dry and cold, especially if you were dead on north. Probing around on north, there is still plenty of weak snow at the bottom of the snowpack that could be an issue if water starts flowing. Probably not the most likely scenario with this warm up, but something to watch for if we go multiple days without a freeze.
Avalanche
Saw a few older loose snow and wind slabs from previous days. Thankfully, nothing breaking deeper than surface snow