Steamboat & Flat Tops

Avalanche

john morrone ยท Dec 27, 2016

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Weather

15F, light west wind (10mph), nil blow snow, N-W aspect 9200-8500'

Snowpack

12/16-18 storm came in warm with rain, then profuse snowfall with cold temps. skiing on tuesday 12/20 revealed a rain crust 30+cm down at soda creek bottom (8200'), but no evicdence of rain at dry lake or higher elevations(8400' from pole probing and quick pits ). quick pits in valley floor showed facets below crust, but good adherence of light soft snow above. very uniform and supportive snowpack with boot top deep soft all week until 12/24 sun and warming making S and W exposed snow surface wet up to at least 9500'. 12/25 to current brought in new cold snow, but strong winds denuded any new from the stoutly sun crusted w slopes, E-SE wind drifts and mini-cornices stayed fairly soft, with no shooting cracks. poor adherence of the new snow on the stout sun crust on S exposures (almost needing ski crampons). No crust on shaded N facing slopes at any elevation near Dry Lake TH. Skiing steep undulating slopes on N facing at 9000' on 12/26 resulted in sizable soft-loose sloughs about 12" deep of soft surface snow at cuts in convex rollovers, up to 10' wide x 30+ vertical feet run (D 1?)- NO Slab.

Avalanche

Skiing steep undulating slopes on N facing at 9000' near N fork Soda Creek on 12/26 resulted in sizable soft-loose sloughs about 12" deep of soft surface snow at cuts in convex rollovers, up to 10' wide x 30+ vertical feet run (D 1?)- NO Slab.