Steamboat & Flat Tops

Skies started with few clouds but built throughout the day. Temperatures were near-freezing but felt colder with moderate to strong south winds, which also kept snow surfaces cool. No new snow.

I found about 8-9” of new snow from the storm that started our new year, but the new snow height varied widely as I got to higher, more exposed terrain where moderate to strong winds were transporting it, despite it being higher density snow. Average snow depths are starting to approach a meter, but not quite there yet. The buried crust or crusts from rain events in December are now in the mid-pack. They are less concerning than what I’ve seen at similar elevations and aspects on Buffalo Pass. The crusts I saw in snowpits today were mostly breakable and not surrounded by larger faceted grains. Wind was transporting snow throughout the day. I was able to kick off decent-sized cornices but they neither propagated far across nor caused avalanches. On a north-facing wind-loaded convex roll, I did get propagating results in an extended column test where higher hardness snow rested atop softer snow near the surface, but this was on an isolated feature rather than a slope that could produce an avalanche. However, at higher elevations on north aspects today I would think there could be human triggered wind slab avalanches.