Vail & Summit County
AvalancheJeremy Primmer · Feb 4, 2022 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Cold temperatures, saw effective loading on east and northeast-facing slopes above the treeline the entire time I was out.
Snowpack
Near treeline, I noticed a thin wind skin on easterly-facing slopes that grew thicker as I gained elevation. Southeast-facing slopes near treeline and above have a very weak structure. There is a slick supportable melt-freeze crust under the new snow that is sitting on fist hard 0.3mm to 0.5mm facets. In snowpits, I got propagating results with easy force that failed just under the crust on the facets. I saw effective wind-loading on north, northeast, and east-facing slopes above the treeline. Below the treeline, on a protected northeast-facing slope, I was able to trigger a small loose dry avalanche. On these slopes, there is about 10cm of new snow sitting on 15cm of small fist hard near-surface facets before there is more of a slab structure. Loose-dry avalanches are a growing concern, but they are still smaller and less widespread than in the Aspen and Gunnison zones.
Avalanche
Small loose dry avalanche