Steamboat & Flat Tops
SnowpackMax Strotbeck · Apr 7, 2024 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
Broken skies, with northwest winds that were light with moderate gusts. Very light snowfall for brief period of time that did not amount to any accumulation. Temps were in the mid-to-upper twenties.
Snowpack
On easterly aspects below treeline I found variable depths of the new storm snow, from 5cm (where the terrain is more open and exposed to wind) to 50cm (where a band of trees diminished the ability for the new snow to be transported while also allowing wind-drifted snow to settle). In multiple snowpits dug, I found the new snow to be resting atop about 30-40cm of melt forms and rounded grains that are pencil to knife hard on the hand-hardness scale. I dig not dig deeper than 40cm below the old snow surface. In the isolated areas where the new snow was deeper (ie. more wind-drifted snow) I found the structure of a wind slab, firmer wind-drifted snow laying atop softer storm snow. However, I did not find areas where there was enough wind-drifted snow to lead to propagating failures in snowpack tests at the density change.