Sand Mountain. Photo: Art Judson

The storm last week that dumped 2-4 feet in the Steamboat area has left the area with a large avalanche cycle. Over 22 natural slides have occurred in the last week. Wind was a huge factor, with gusts reaching up to 43mph. The slides were reported to be 100-600 feet wide, mainly consisting of hard and soft slabs.

The aftermath of a slide in the Steamboat side country

Avalanche expert Art Judson traveled to North Routt on Sunday morning and recorded evidence of the avalanche activity. He noted that Saddle Mountain and Sand Mountain had fracture lines that ranged from 2 to 6 feet in depth, and some of the slides ran as far as 700 vertical feet. Also the east side of Hahn’s Peak that had a 6-foot fracture line and ran 1,650 vertical feet.

And who said we were flat? Be careful out there!