Vail & Summit County

Previously reported avalanche on SE ATL.

OVC skies with S-1 to S1 precip while I was out in the field. Moderate NW winds with stronger gusts. Periods of effective wind transport at ridgetop and in the valley.

I dug on a southeast-facing slope above treeline and near an avalanche that was remotely triggered on Feb 1. I found a couple of crust/facet combo layers that are concerning, as well as a layer of facets higher in the snowpack sandwiched between two harder, wind-packed layers. Right now, the layer of concern is a faceted crust about 20cm from the ground and sitting on top of depth hoar. I had ECTP results immediately under this crust in my pit. Climbing up to the crown of the nearby avalanche, it appears that the avalanche failed under the same crust, with a crust lower down acting as the bed surface. In my pit, this crust was about 10cm under the crust that failed. At the crown, this crust was only 5cm below the layer that failed. The max height of the crown was about 60cm.