Vail & Summit County

Avalanche

Chris Johnson · May 1, 2025 · Vail & Summit County

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Weather

Cold, moderate wind at the top of the couloir, interspersed clouds (low) and sun.

Snowpack

3" new snow in most spots, some areas slightly more, other areas slightly less. Mostly firm snow underneath. A few spots we managed to punch through into rotten snow. Didn't see much sign of wind loading, no cohesive slabs.

Avalanche

Just below where rocks begin to be covered by snow, skier 1 kicked off a dry loose slide within the new snow. Slide continued down to the dog leg in the couloir, couple hundred feet maybe, only ~15" wide. New snow seemed poorly bonded to old snow and had a tendency to slough away under skis.