Vail & Summit County
SnowpackColin Mitchell · Feb 5, 2017 · Aspen
Weather
Warm day for this location with partly sunny skies and temperatures just above freezing in the Canyon.
Snowpack
~18" of snow in the canyon. Coverage is quite good, even the higher elevation, south-facing, sun-exposed slopes above the canyon proper had plenty of snow. Some loose activity had occurred earlier in the day, but consisted of small sluffs to the white line. The two main paths of concern were holding at least 18" of snow. Some surface activity was evident here, but nothing deeper than a couple of inches, and nothing to the road. The main concern with the upcoming storm is bonding to the melt-freeze crust developing on all aspects in and around the canyon. The forecast warm temperatures during the onset of precipitation will likely help bonding. Rain is possible during the beginning of the storm, and this could cause some surface sluffing in the shadier parts of the canyon where cold snow still exists.