Vail & Summit County
AvalancheAnonymous · May 6, 2014 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
1130 am Mostly sunny 34F w 25 mph sustained winds from NW (280-300) wind dropping to 15 mph by 1230, just prior to descent.
Snowpack
granular top to bottom. Along the edges of rock formations there were some impressively large melt pits. Some near the east facing cornices were 10-15 ft deep and cavernous, The cooling effect of the wind on west facing slopes was quickly lost as soon as we dropped below the break provided by the ridge, and there was about 3" of nice spring snow on the descent. Rendezvoused with another party who'd skied the SFB couloir and reported icy boiler plate conditions for their descent which was @ 12pm,
Avalanche
avalanche on SE face of professor WL R1D1 200 dt across by 500 vertical. avalanche debris was about as soft as the snow surrounding it