Steamboat & Flat Tops

Snowpack

A few weeks ago during a cold, clear, weather cycle I was touring all over Rabbit Ears Pass. East and west sides at elevations from about 8000' to 9500'. Everywhere I went I was seeing lots of surface hoar. The layer was between one and two inches thick. On the last full moon, 12/19 or so, two of us went for a night tour on the east side near the prominent peak at the intersection of highways 40 and 14 (to Walden). We were on skis and a splitboard. The heaviest of us was 170 pounds. We triggered collapses every 100 to 200 feet on a safe route for a few miles whenever we were in the open. They radiated out anywhere from 25 to perhaps 50 feet each time. We are now in a storm cycle that is supposed to last four or five days and add a lot of stress to that layer. We drove over the pass yesterday, 12/20, and there was a lot of wind from the west and southwest that is going to load some places even more. Be careful.