Steamboat & Flat Tops
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Dec 26, 2016 · Front Range
Weather
Skies were obscured at Storm Peak for most of the day. At the lower elevations clouds gave way to some sun and scattered clouds by 1 PM. The snow depth (HS) ranged from 120cms to 180cms at elevations closer to 10k feet.
Snowpack
No significant weak layers were found in the Fish Creek area which likely has a similar snowpack to Buffalo Pass. The only weakness to be found is 30cms from the surface there is a layer of small-grained facets that are not overly weak and do not show propagation potential in snowpack test. In general, the snowpack is deep and strong in this part of the zone... There are noticeable wind affected areas and cross-loaded terrain features from the previous strong westerly winds. No signs of instability were observed within wind-drifted snow and it appears these slabs are bonded well to old snow surfaces.
Avalanche
No avalanches observed or any other signs of instability.