Steamboat & Flat Tops
SnowpackDan Edmiston · Nov 21, 2012 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
Few clouds, light winds with air temps slightly above freezing (3.0*C) in the shade.
Snowpack
Some surface hoar and graupel on 39cm snowpack on shaded NNW slope. 0.5mm round grains from 39-14cm with 3-5mm depth hoar from 14cm to ground. Melt forms at round grain/depth hoar interface. Temps. Tsurf=-7.1C, T10=-8.2C, T20=-5.4C, T30=-2.0C Column tests had mostly medium results (11, 13, and 18 taps) with mostly Q2 progressive compression fractures at 14cm melt freeze boundary. Extended column test also medium results at 12, however the overlying slab was not cohesive enough to propagate the collapse beyond shovel width +15cm. Prop saw test was also interesting. 20cm cut with saw along ice boundary caused collapse to jump ahead 20cm. multiple trials produced same results. 20cm cuts with collapse jumping 20cm ahead.