Vail & Summit County
SnowpackJason Konigsberg, Andrew McWilliams · Jan 31, 2024 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Mild with some high clouds to the south. Not much wind even at 13k ft.
Snowpack
Surface Conditions---The snow surface is faceted to a depth of 10 cm with large surface hoar at the surface on most northerly and east-facing slopes. On southeast-facing slopes near treeline, the crust had melted and we found slightly moist surface snow down to about 10 cm. There was no sign of any wet instability such as rollerballing or pinwheels. Above treeline the snow surface was mostly dry even on southerlies. On due north-facing slopes above treeline we encountered mostly hard windboard and pockets of softer, faceted snow but generally an inconsistent surface. Many alpine due north-facing slopes are nearly stripped of snow. Surface Penetrability---Ski penetration was anywhere from zero on the windboard to about 10 cm in faceted snow. The snowpack was supportable to skis from 13k feet down to the trailhead at 8k feet. For foot penetration the below treeline the snowpack was generally not supportbale. Near and above treeline, foot penetration depths were about 20 to 30 cm. Snowpack Structure--- Below treeline we found the snowpack to be very soft in places, lacking the pencil-hard slab in other places. This is generally a weak snowpack. Crusts were hard on southerlies and we don't think that we will see avalanches break below these crusts, even with a foot of snow. Near treeline is currently, and in the future, the most dangerous elevation band. The snowpack is soft enough that you can affect weak layers while also cohesive enough to connect slabs across terrain. For more detailed info see snowpit images. Above treeline is a much harder and inconsistent patchwork of snow surface and connected slabs. The exception to this is easterly-facing slopes. These slopes are well-connected and have consistent snow coverage although the slabs are likely much harder than near treeline.