Vail & Summit County
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Mar 11, 2024 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Sunny with increasing clouds. Windy at ridgetop. Mild.
Snowpack
On a north-facing upper end below treeline slope I found a snowpack 215 cm deep. interestingly the snowpack layering and depth were nearly identical to a snowpit I dug near an avalanche accident in the upper Taylor River (east of Crested Butte) four days ago. The main differences were stronger slabs and weak layers in this snowpit. I did not get Extended Column Test results on the primary layer of concern (surface hoar and facets buried 80 cm from the surface). Propagation Saw Test results were PST35/100 END. This layer is hard to affect but still capable of producing avalanches as evidenced by the recent avalanche activity. On a west-facing slope the snowpack was much shallower and weaker. The snow depth where I dug was only about a meter and there were plenty of spots where it was much less. In this snowpack there are several thin crusts surrounded by faceted layers. I got results of ECTP22 61 cm from the surface on top of one of these crusts. The top 3 cm of the snowpack was moist so I expect a thick melt-freeze crust to form at the surface.
Avalanche
A handful of loose wet avalanches