Vail & Summit County

Calm winds and warm temps.

11,800 ft (NTL) ENE - The snowpack was 1 m deep. We found thinner, yet hard, cohesive slabs perched over a fist-hard faceted layer at 63 cm from the ground. We got results of ECTP19 in an Extended Column Test. The faceted snow and depth hoar below this layer were relatively harder. 12,150 ft (ATL) E - Snow depth was 115 cm. We got results of ECTP20 on a weak, soft layer of faceted snow beneath a thin crust at 47 cm from the ground. Compared to the above snowpit, the upper snowpack slab was thicker and harder. On southeast-facing slopes near and above treeline there is a 3 cm thick melt-freeze crust at the surface. Interestingly, we triggered a collapse on an east-facing feature from a southeast portion of the slope. There was just thin melt-freeze crust on east-facing slopes with faceted snow below. The near-surface conditions on east-facing near and above treeline slopes is most concerning for a future load. Below treeline, there were thick impenetrable surface crusts on all southerlies where there was snow. East-facing slopes had a thick but breakable crust at this elevation.