Vail & Summit County
SnowpackAmanda Loughlin · Feb 11, 2024 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Sunny, temps in the mid-teens, and light northwest breeze.
Snowpack
We dug several pits below and near treeline on north and northeast aspects. All pits revealed the February 2nd buried surface hoar or facet layer to be between 5-8cm thick buried 20-60cm below the surface. These layers were not generally reactive to stability tests. This layer sat atop P to K hard layers that ranged between 18 to 30cm in pits below treeline and almost 40cm near treeline. Ski penetration ranged from 10-20cm and boot penetration ranged from 24-40cm. Extended Column Tests (ECTs) below treeline on northeast aspect produced ECTX and ECTN9@97cm (the interface between F hard layer and 4F weak layer). Compression Tests (CTs) on north aspect below treeline produced CT14@105cm, CT19@95cm, CT12@105, and CT9@10cm, all on weak layers of buried surface hoar or depth hoar. ECTs on northeast aspect near treeline above a 40cm knife hard layer produced ECTN19@105 and ECTN16@105. Propagation Saw Test (PST) scored PST 85/100 End on F+ weak layer 35cm below the snow surface.