Steamboat & Flat Tops
SnowpackKreston Rohrig, Austin Divesta · Nov 24, 2024 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
Snowfall was consistent S1 throughout the say with 3-4 inches of new accumulation. Winds were light and the sky obscured. It was exciting to see this storm cycle kicking off.
Snowpack
Most below treeline slopes holding snow are only 12 to 15 inches deep (30 to 37.5 cm) and lack any significant structure. Sunnier slopes have a thin melt/freeze crust below the new snow from today but showed signs of breaking down from faceting. Generally, the snowpack is weak and faceted to the ground. We did find a slope on the dam side of Sheriff Reservoir that had been wind-loaded and was a reasonable representation of the terrain we are most concerned about. We found a 4-finger hard slab around a foot thick sitting over a thick layer of Fist-hard facets to the ground. Getting the slab to fail (ECTP3 down 35cm) and propagate took very little initiation. Our concern is on similar terrain features, especially near treeline; you will be able to find similar continuous dense slabs formed over weak snow near the ground that will crumble once snowfall from this incoming storm ramps up.