Steamboat & Flat Tops
AvalancheAlex Blanchard · Mar 27, 2023
Weather
Sporadic snow all day with patches of blue skies, ranging from cold to brutally cold at times.
Snowpack
Snow was surprisingly compact/dense even in sheltered areas. Was light enough to blow over the hood, but came as clumps instead of straight powder. Probably 8-10” of fresh on top of another foot of medium-density soft snow below. More in wind loaded areas, occasionally above knee deep. No noticeable crust or layers getting punched through to
Avalanche
None noticed, but started to see a slab forming in areas that were wind-effected. We tested/hill climbed a couple of sloped on various aspects without reactions, but on a couple of descents later in the day I noticed snow starting to break around the sled in chunks instead of just pushing powder. Was surprised how isolated this was, we thought there would be more of a slab present overall