Steamboat & Flat Tops
AvalancheDan Edmiston ยท Nov 30, 2020
Weather
Classic bluebird day, no wind at ridge tops. Trailhead temps single digits. Ridge tops below freezing all day but strong solar impact to snow surface.
Snowpack
Southerly aspects bare to sparse coverage to 9500ft, above 9500ft coverage was intact but shallow. Northerly aspects intact but still less than a meter even in lee aspects. Surface hoar dominating the snow surface on any area that is in the shade regardless of aspect. Any non-shaded area was about 1-2cm temperature crust with unsupportive snow beneath. Toured thru 10 miles of drainage and saw only a few sluffs on steep northerly and southerly aspects. Looked like a sad, deteriorating snow pack. Ski quality was good if you could find the right mix of coverage, support, and slope steepness. Ratio of miles walked to ski turns made was very low.
Avalanche
Few very minor sluffs