Vail & Summit County
AvalancheKreston Rohrig · Dec 21, 2018 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Increasing clouds to overcast/obscured by 2pm. Moderate winds were steady gusting to strong near treeline. Snowfall was light but coupled with wind-transported snow at the surface, conditions were blustery and visibility was poor.
Snowpack
At the upper end of the near-treeline band at 11600'on a wind-effected east facing slope, the snowpack was relatively deep and full of dense wind-packed slabs. There were very few layers of concern or persistent weak layers observed. The weak facets at the bottom of the snowpack are slowly gaining strength and were unreactive in stability tests. See attached profile for more detailed information.
Avalanche
None observed as visibility was poor due to incoming storm