Vail & Summit County

Winds increased throughout the morning and were moderate with strong gusts generally from the west. Skies were broken, and the temperature was near freezing.

At low elevations, there were still areas with a soft slab in the middle of the snowpack on the northerly-facing slopes I ascended, but I didn't get any cracking or collapsing on test slopes. South-facing slopes had crusts, but they were breakable, and the snowpack was weak between them. Where I dug near treeline, a slab of snow from the early December storm was resting on a couple of layers of weak snow near the ground. I got results in Extended Column Tests on these layers after taps from the elbow. Above this slab was a very soft layer of decomposing fragments and facets below a crust that formed during the wind event. You'll be able to recognize the crust because of the dirt and twigs that are in it. In isolated areas, it was buried by up to 10cm of drifted snow. In some areas, it formed a stable surface; in others, it was breakable. This crust facet combination will be something to watch for on sheltered slopes whenever we get more snow.