Steamboat & Flat Tops
AvalancheKreston Rohrig · Jan 5, 2020 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
High dark clouds obscured the sun for most the day and continued to build until thicker storm clouds moved in around 2pm. Winds were calm to moderate at ridgeline for most of the day, increasing as the storm approached. It was surprisingly colder than I expected.
Snowpack
Probing around the snowpack ranged in height from 140cm-160cm in this area. Another group that was to the north said they found depths up to 240cm. Comparatively, this part of the zone is becoming deeper and stronger. We dug on a west facing slope off the west ridge and found no remarkable weak layers and had no failures in stability tests. Facets were found at the ground but they are gaining strength and unreactive. There was plenty of evidence of recent wind-transported snow throughout this part of the zone. Snow surfaces were denser than sheltered areas but still soft with ski pen over the ankle. Lee-ward slopes below ridgeline had significant cornice growth and deeper soft slabs that appeared well bonded.
Avalanche
None observed