Steamboat & Flat Tops
AvalancheEric Haskell · Dec 15, 2017 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
Clear most of day with few clouds building to north. No precip. W-SW light winds. High solar. Warm temps.
Snowpack
Dug on SE slope below ridgeline ~10,600; ECTPV at ground below facets. Did not seem representative of surrounding area as most similar aspects didn't have as much snow. Also wandered high N. facing terrain in search of buried surface hoar. Breaks in shovel tilt test and light cracking in new snow but did not see any buried surface hoar. Surface hoar growing on shaded slopes below 9K. Basal facets on northern slope seemed pretty frozen and unreactive. More reactivity seen in mid-pack below crusts. Crusts less pronounced up high on true N aspect compared to lower NW pack observed yesterday.
Avalanche
None.