Steamboat & Flat Tops
AvalancheRyan Lewthwaite · Jan 11, 2020 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
Overcast skies and snow all day at a rate of S2. Calm winds with little transport of snow observed. -7.7 celsius.
Snowpack
The deepest snow can be found on north and east aspects. I stayed in the below treeline zone all day and it continued to snow at a rate of S2. The new 25cm of snow was unaffected by sun and wind. The snowpack has decent stability overall with 3 concerning layers. At just over 100cm the snowpack has 2 layers of buried surface hoar that show failures in tests with moderate forces. The easily distinguishable layer that is deepest is harder to trigger than the layer that is difficult to see just 12cm above. The other layer of concern lies at the base of the snowpack buried over 160cm deep. This is the early season depth hoar that is common across the state.
Avalanche
No new significant avalanches observed. Small loose dry avalanches along roadside cuts.