Vail & Summit County
SnowpackDrew Gibson · Jan 30, 2024 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Clear, calm, and hot even at 12,000ft
Snowpack
Surface warming on the southerly aspects below treeline was significant. Free water was moving down into the snowpack about 10cm. As soon as the sun dipped behind the ridge this formed into a surface zipper crust with wet snow below. No doubt this will completely freeze overnight. Above treeline slopes were staying cooler, but not by much. Digging around on SE-facing slopes above treeline yielded weak to moderate compression scores, but it was difficult to initiate propagation, see the attached pit profile. Easterly and northerly slopes stayed cold even below treeline and the surface hoar was preserved through the day. The basal weak layer on more northerly facing slopes is more reactive with a similar slab structure sitting on top. Test scores were in the teens, but the propagation was much easier than on SE. (ECTP13 and PSTEND 35/100). I think the slab will take quite a bit of load. How the incoming snow will bond to the surface snow is another story between the crust and surface hoar.