Steamboat & Flat Tops

Snowpack

Austin DiVesta · Feb 25, 2022 · Steamboat & Flat Tops

Weather

Temperatures were relatively cold for much of the week. Winds were light to moderate from the west and north mostly. Steamboat Lake received five to eight inches of snow from Tuesday the 23rd to Friday the 25th. Skies were mostly cloudy with a few breaks here and there.

Snowpack

Steamboat Lake received about a foot of snow over three days with light to moderate winds. The new snow fell on top of extremely weak near-surface facets, which produced localized cracking under the tracks of our snowmobiles. Almost all slopes below treeline had some sort of crust/facet combination due to the extended dry spell during early February. We found easy propagation results on an east slope on a crust/facet layer just under the new snow with a handful of quick snowpits. The fresh snow had started to form a slab about 4 Finger hard while we were up there. The midpack was still reasonably supportive. Your boot penetration was mainly into the new snow when you stepped off your machine. However, you could still find places where you would sink in up to your mid-thigh, especially if it were on a more northerly aspect.