Steamboat & Flat Tops

Snowpack

Eric Deering · Dec 22, 2011 · Steamboat & Flat Tops

View on map

Weather

Lots of wind from the ENE. Gusts above 40. So you're right on with the loading on the other side of the rose

Snowpack

Most snow on shady N and W aspects has lost a great deal of its strength. Mostly F and 4F hardness. The area of concern for us are the places that got a similar ENE wind a couple weaks agao. There, exists a very durable (P to 1F) wind slab about 10cm thick. That sits on the weak facets from earlier this season. So, just writing to back up this mornings forecast. Below treeline or where that strong snow does not exist, things are simply too weak to get anything other than loose snow moving. But where that last wind event layer exists, things feel hollow and a bit dodgy.