Steamboat & Flat Tops
SnowpackAndrew McWilliams Austin DiVesta · Jan 30, 2024 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
Clear skies and calm winds. Temperatures quickly warmed to above freezing.
Snowpack
We observed a snowpack that ranged from about 100cm to 150cm deep in the below treeline areas where we traveled. There was evidence of an avalanche cycle that likely occurred sometime during or immediately after the Martin Luther King Day (MLK) storm cycle. We observed widespread surface hoar formation on all aspects. Except for shaded, northerly slopes, these weak grains were resting on a melt-freeze crust layer. Weak surfaces and two melt-freeze crusts near the surface will likely become a problematic interface during the upcoming storm. In an Extended Column Test (ECT), we found propagating results after 20 and 22 taps at a lower crust-facet combination about 50cm above the ground. A Propagation Saw Test (PST) on this layer propagated to end after a 40cm cut. This is likely the layer that was buried by the MLK storm cycle. Moving forward, it seems like avalanches will be able to break near the surface, and given enough of a load, will break at this lower weak layer as well. Currently, it seems like you can still trigger an avalanche at this lower layer, but it has become less likely than it was a week or two ago.