Vail & Summit County
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Feb 23, 2024 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Clouds decreased throughout the morning. Winds were moderate to strong at ridgetop and effectively transporting snow.
Snowpack
I mostly dug at elevations near treeline and the upper end of the below-treeline avalanche band. I found a snowpack about 130 cm deep. The weak layer described in the summary was easily visible in all snowpits; sometimes propagating in ECTs sometimes not. I also got a mix of scores when I did get propagation from ECTP10 to ECTP26. The slab above the weak layer is up to one finger hard and quite cohesive. Below the weak layer, the slab formed in January is up to pencil hard. The basal facets are generally four-finger hard. With the thickness of the above slab, it would be hard to trigger an avalanche on the basal facets unless a large avalanche stepped down or if we had a large loading event. I dug on north, east, and southeast-facing slopes, and although the early-February weak layer looks different depending on the aspect, the results in stability tests are similar. While I was out, winds were effectively transporting snow. Fresh cornices were very sensitive. When they broke off they would trigger small avalanches below. I dropped some chunks onto east-facing above treeline slopes and I got small avalanches, but nothing stepped down. Probing around on above treeline slopes, the snowpack is hard and deep. The most likely place to trigger an avalanche on the layer on concern (early Feb layer buried 2 ft deep) is near treeline on a few hundred feet below ridgetop where the snow is softer.
Avalanche
I triggered small wind slab avalanches above treeline on east-facing slopes