Vail & Summit County
SnowpackColin Mitchell · Feb 22, 2017 · Aspen
Weather
Mostly cloudy skies and below-freezing temperatures.
Snowpack
12-18" of spring-like snow exists in the canyon. A thick melt-freeze crust had formed earlier in the month, topped by a few inches of new snow from earlier in the week. A couple of small sluffs had come down within this new snow, but nothing made the road. The tracks of the three paths of concern at the west end of the canyon are full of well-consolidated snow. Rocks and vegetation are smoothed over. The main concern here at this time is new snow sliding off of old crusts during between-storm warm ups. A secondary concern is full-depth wet loose slides from either the paths that line the road, or the steep, grassy slopes above the canyon walls. The canyon itself is cold and shady enough that this type avalanche will remain unlikely for the near future. The higher terrain above the canyon walls is holding a lot of snow, and will remain a concern until it melts off.