Steamboat & Flat Tops
AvalancheDan Edmiston · Nov 26, 2022 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
Mostly sunny in the morning with high clouds moving in around noon ahead of next storm. Snow in the sunny aspects was wetting and sticking to skis prior to clouds moving in
Snowpack
9600ft SE aspect, 50cms total snow depth, shaded pockets are growing surface hoar as expected, south aspects are bare dirt. 11/5 rain crust is about 5mm thick in this area, buried about 35cms deep and has facets above and below. CTMx2 down 35cm on the facets BELOW rain crust. ECTN on a few mid-pack layers above that and ECTX on the rain crust. Despite the ECTX there are some small pockets where you'll get localized (2-3m radius) collapsing associated with that layer.
Avalanche
D1 slide visible on a steep SE aspect of Sand Mtn ~ 9800ft level, presumed natural trigger, likely ran in the last 4-5 days, maybe on rain crust with recent warming