Steamboat & Flat Tops

Avalanche

CMC AIARE Lvl 1 · Dec 3, 2016 · Steamboat & Flat Tops

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Weather

Calm to light winds all day, no wind transport seen. Temps in mid-teens. Snow rates were mostly S-1. Sky was mixed between overcast and obscured.

Snowpack

HS=65cm. Found light density (Fist+) snow on top due to recent storms. Snowpack was progressively more dense from Fist just below the new snow down to 1-Finger hardness near the base. Some basal facets present but did not seem reactive. Repeated Compression Tests presented medium (CTM x14) to hard (CTH x 4) results with some resistant planar shears on a 1mm near-surface-facet layer around 35cm down from the surface. Two ECT's did not propogate. Ski quality was superb on 25-30 degree slopes.

Avalanche

Small, dry, point release visible on steep road cuts. No other instabilities were observed.