Vail & Summit County

Snowpack

Below Treeline: The snowpack is faceted with a surface melt-freeze crust on west to south-facing slopes that ranged from 2-5cm thick. Northwest-facing features at this elevation had a very thin (less than 0.5cm) melt-freeze crust. North-facing slopes were faceted at the surface. Hs was typically 60-75cm. Most areas didn't have any evidence of water percolating much below the snow surface. The exception was open, south-facing slopes. These were more cooked down, with an Hs of 30cm or less and a stout (20cm or more) melt-freeze crust. Near Treeline: South-facing slopes were mainly faceted, with some melt-freeze crust/facet combos at the top of the snowpack and a couple of other melt-freeze crusts buried mid-pack and below. ECTN results the lowest of the upper melt-freeze crusts. Northeast-facing slopes were primarily faceted or faceting. Though you can find a stronger layer over weak snow, it seems unlikely there is a problematic slab. In both areas, the most problematic future weak layer seems to be the current surface.