WHERE TO SKI? We have discount lift tickets for Snowbird, Powder Mountain, Park City, Sundance, Alta, Brian Head and Wolf Mountain. Tickets were donated by the ski resorts to help UAC funding. Click on the Online Store below for details.

Observation: Intermediate Ridge 1/21/2011

Observer Name:

Jake Hutchinson

Region:

Salt Lake
Big Cottonwood Canyon
Cardiff Fork
Intermediate Ridge

Observation Date:

01/21/2011

Location or Route:

Intermediate Ridgein Cardiff Fork

Snow Characteristics

New Snow Depth:

10"

New Snow Density:

Medium

Snow Surface Conditions:

Wind Crust

Snow Characteristic Comments:

New snow shows NSF under a 1cm wind crust. Measured a 3 deg temp gradient between the surface and 1 cm down just below the wind skin. Surface hoar was very active - see video below the rain/crust which was about 12-15 cm thick in this pit. I realize this isn't a widespread problem, but I have seen in enough in the last two field days to be concerned for the future on slopes where it may exist.

snow_profile_location:

Comments - Photos - Videos (group 1)

I thought this was a great educational clip for demonstrating a Q1 shear - failure was on surface hoar 3" below the rain crust.

Video 1:

Observed Danger Rating:

Low

Forecast Danger Rating:

Low