Steamboat & Flat Tops

Avalanche

Joe Messina ยท Jan 13, 2016

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Weather

Clear, calm day with few clouds. No new snow. Temperature taken from Dry Lake SNOTEL. Strong inversion, temps were in single digits when I left town.

Snowpack

Deep and rounding. The lower pack is complex. The obvious exception is a buried surface hoar - crust combo at 90 cm. Avalanche triggered on 20160111 failed on this combo. It is very subtle, and easily missed if you're not looking for it.

Avalanche

Examined avalanche reported by Steamboat Powder Cats on 20160111.