Steamboat & Flat Tops
AvalancheMax Strotbeck · Feb 3, 2023 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
mostly sunny, light wind, around 0 degrees Fahrenheit in morning, warming up to 20+ by mid-day
Snowpack
On a steep, open, south facing slope at 8,900 feet, depth of snow was 170cm. A breakable crust has developed on the surface of steeper south facing slopes, and while isolating a column for an ECT, a propagating fracture occurred just beneath this 3cm thick crust (ECTPV @167cm). Depending how/when the next storm comes in this could be problematic. No further propagation occurred during ECT. On a steep, moderately treed, NE facing slope at 9,500 feet, depth of snow was 280cm. No propagation occurred during ECT.
Avalanche
multiple recent loose wet slides observed (all D1) on South aspects, and very shallow soft slabs on North aspects that likely occurred on Monday/Tuesday when similar activity was noted on Buffalo Pass