Steamboat & Flat Tops
AvalancheKreston Rohrig · Jan 15, 2021 · Steamboat & Flat Tops
Weather
Beautiful day. Cold inversion kept the valley below zero in the morning, but the day warmed and was very pleasant. The winds were very mild at the elevation we traveled, but evidence of recent strong winds were everywhere.
Snowpack
Very similar to what we saw near Buff Pass yesterday. Soft faceted snow at the surface over a 4 finger to 1 finger mid-pack slab over weak fist hard larger facets and depth hoar. We did have two ECTP23-24, which lines up the the weakening mid-pack slab. It's still there, but triggering an avalanche is becoming harder, at least in the short-term. I still wouldn't step up my terrain choices and tempt any steep consequential terrain, even below treeline. You could easily stay a float with skis on, but boot pen when down to the ground.
Avalanche
None observed