Vail & Summit County
AvalancheKreston Rohrig · Jan 28, 2021 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Partly sunny day with scattered clouds. Ridge top winds were gusty, moving minor amounts of snow.
Snowpack
Below treeline the snowpack is still weak and unsupportive. Near treeline in wind-loaded features below ridgeline we found varying snow cover from 10-20cm to 155cm. In the deeper areas, multiple layers of slab and weak layers were stacked upon each other but none were reactive in stability tests. As we traveled further down slope on a north east aspect, the stiffer supportable slab gave way to a much weaker snow surface and mid-pack. Looking higher into the alpine, slabs formed from recent snowfall and wind-transport have formed continuous slabs across terrain features. I would still be very cautious traveling in steep wind-loaded terrain.
Avalanche
None observed