Steamboat & Flat Tops
SnowpackJoe Messina Alli Gordon ยท Dec 29, 2015
Weather
Air temperature taken from Elk River Snotel. Left Steamboat under mostly clear skies, got up to the Willow Creek valley and found low clouds over Hahns Peak and surrounding mountains. Snowing lightly about 0.5 - 1 cm per hour, large stellar dendrites. Snow and light winds continued for most of the tour. HS varied with aspect: about 50 cm on southerly, 90 on westerly.
Snowpack
On west aspect, persistent grains at base of snowpack are pencil hard and not a weakness. Southwest aspect had a sun crust about 2 cm thick below ~ 5 cm of new snow.