Steamboat & Flat Tops
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Mar 9, 2017 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
Skies were overcast in North Routt County for most of the morning. During the afternoon cloud cover decreased. Not much wind until ridgetop with no wind loading at any locations.
Snowpack
The snowpack in this area was similar to Rabbit Ears Pass in that a weak layer, buried 40 to 45 cms deep, was reactive in tests. This weak layer is comprised of surface hoar and not faceted crystals and is much thinner. The older surface hoar layer was also present on every north-facing slope that I looked at. This layer is buried 75 cms deep and also produced unstable results in snowpack tests....On north-facing slopes the surface snow became moist due to warm temperatures and cloud cover resulting in greenhousing. Rollerballing and pinwheeling on northerly slopes only gouging into top 10 cms of the snowpack...Southerly aspects and other sunny slopes did not experience any rollerballing or wet activity....A dust layer exists in the snowpack about 10 cms down from the surface. This dust layer was present in all snowpits that I dug...As I found on Rabbit Ears Pass, east-facing slopes lack a slab and are not as concerning as shady aspects.
Avalanche
No avalanche activity was noted anywhere in the zone over the last 2 days. I did not experience any other signs of instability such as cracking and/or collapsing. Propagating test results are the only red flag.