Observation: Cardiac Ridge

Observation Date
4/10/2013
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake
Location Name or Route
Cardiff Fork
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
Northeast
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Wind continued to blow today from the N-NE in the moderate catagory on the high ridges not bad at all off the ridgeline. Also seemed quite a bit warmer today.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

Seemed like most of the terrain in upper Cardiff Fork was wind jacked in some form or the other, only the skiers left on Cardiac Ridge escaped the wind damage. Snow was still dense in none winded areas, South facing was damp by 11:00pm.

Comments

The strong N-NE winds from the last 24hrs had not done the upper bowls of Cardiff any favors. Wind slabs and wind crust were the predominant feature. I was still getting some cracking in the wind drifts but they seemed pretty welded in place today, even in the steepest terrain. The new snow was also too dense or capped by a wind crust to sluff. Only real instabilities noted were point release wet activity on the south end of the compass, but it also seemed fairly minor. Photos, LSB NE facing wind damage, wet activity on SE facing Cardiff Bowl around 1:00pm, wind still blowing on the highest ridges across the street.

Forecaster Comment: Another top rate observation with photos by Mark White. I say give the guy a raise!

Hardesty