Vail & Summit County

Snowpack

Jason Konigsberg, Scott Toepfer · Apr 18, 2017 · Vail & Summit County

Weather

We did not gain the ridge but local stations show 20 to 30 MPH winds with gusts of 40 to 50. The wind below ridgetop was 5 to 15 MPH...enough to keep the snow surface cool for a longer period today.

Snowpack

There was no avalanche danger due to wet avalanches in the area we were in today. The snow surface remained firm for the majority of the morning with about 3 to 6 cms softening after noon.--- Avalanche paths in this area are losing volume rapidly. West-facing start zones are back to rock near ridgetop. Lower portions of west-facing start zones are holding 50 to 100 cms of snow. Where the start zones wrap around to southerly, there is still significant snow coverage with snow depths ranging from 1 to 2 meters. Snow coverage is still sufficient mid-path but the snow surface is very rough with sun cups forming. The lower portion of most avalanche paths in this area are almost completely melted out.---The snowpack structure on both south and west slopes is composed entirely of melt forms with no distinguishable persistent weak layers. (See snowpack obs below)