Route today was up to Cardiff Peak SE facing, Cardiff Fork entering through the Key Hole N facing, out of Cardiff Fork, exit through Cardiff Peak, East Hellgate. Soft slabs were the main attraction today. Walking up to Cardiff Peak Stomped a test slope SE facing didn't take much of a stomp to release a 12 to 15 inch deep wind slab took out about half the test slope, continued up a little higher did a ski cut with camera in hand and got a good series of pics of a soft slab release, from the first of the slide to the powder cloud at the bottom. Closer investigation revealed that the slab ran on a density inversion in the first inch of the new snow. Bottom inch or two was denser than the new snow on top, same with the Cardiff peak slide, both were new wind drifted, dry soft slabs. Continued up to the top of Cardiff Peak, Two people skied it right before I reached the top with no results, I thought to myself that if I walked about 2 more feet to the skiers left of their tracks I would probably start a slide because of a wind drift that they just avoided, sure enough took those two steps and released a slide probably 25 feet wide at the crown, and about twice that wide when it fanned out at the bottom covering the two tracks from the previous skiers. Fast running and packing a punch, with a good debris pile at the bottom, would not want to be caught in it. Skied down the flank to get a pic. Continued up over Cardiff Peak and dropped a cornice into the key hole N facing into Cardiff Fork, only results was a shallow slough. Skied into Cardiff Fork and noticed more natural soft slabs that had run between Cardiac Bowl and Cardiac Ridge. Climbed out of Cardiff fork in damp snow and returned to Alta. Rapid warming and green housing taking place by 2:00 pm Wet slides noted on S facing Flagstaff and a few gullies in the Emma ridges.

test slope SE facing intentionally triggered

Soft slab released sequence from initial crack to powder cloud at the end.

Cardiff Peak slide