Steamboat & Flat Tops

Avalanche

Ryan Lewthwaite · Mar 31, 2020 · Steamboat & Flat Tops

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Weather

Breezy winds form the west were gusting to moderate. Scattered clouds and 38F degrees.

Snowpack

The warm temperatures and sun were melting the surface snow up to 15cm deep. There are two melt-freeze crusts in the upper snowpack. The crust just below the surface was breaking down and becoming unconsolidated. There is a thicker crust 15cm deep that had a layer of facets sandwiched in the middle. This is my layer of concern, whereas my stability test showed a repeatable failure here with hard force CT22@196 (PC Q2). Above this stiff crust melting snow was pooling and running along this layer. The rest of the snowpack was becoming springlike as facets were rounding and rounded grains were compact. The ability to propagate fractures is nil ECTX.

Avalanche

No new avalanches.