Steamboat & Flat Tops

Avalanche

Anonymous ยท Jan 17, 2015

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Weather

Mild temps. Mostly Cloudy then clear than mostly cloudy. Estimated winds at 15-20 mph coming from the NW on/near ridgelines. Blowing snow off peaks visible.

Snowpack

Dug pit on NE pitch 30* at ~8800. January raincrust very reactive with only around 10-15cm barely consolidated snow above and a few cm of new snow on top. Fractured upon isolation CTV SPQ1. This upper layer was barely forming slab like characteristics in this low elevation zone well below TL, layer would break when flipping to examine. (On skin up it would sluff away leaving you stomping through the crust to get purchase). Other CT showed similar results, No failures in other crust layers, post CT shovel shears failed at ground.

Avalanche

At and near treeline high winds moved snow to form windslabs on SE aspects, these were very reactive sitting on the january crust. A couple of pockets triggered easily and propogated. These pockets were lee ridgelines @ 10300-10600.