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Observation: Cardiac Ridge

Observation Date
2/11/2017
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork » Cardiac Ridge
Location Name or Route
Cardiac Ridge
Weather
Sky
Broken
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Mostly cloudy with some low hanging clouds, a few short breaks of sun, light winds out of the NW. Warm temperatures that made it feel like it was green housing a bit with the low hanging clouds.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
13"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

12 to 13 inches of new snow, right side up and mostly bonding well to the old snow surface by afternoon. Damp snow on the surface and underneath the new snow at 8800ft and below.

Comments

Seemed like the theme of the day was long running sluffs on the density inversion about 3 inches down, but they were becoming less reactive by the time I exited at 4:30pm. Some of the sluffs were quite large, ran fairly fast and had enough punch to knock you down and take you for a ride in steep confined terrain. They seemed fairly manageable with ski cuts, cut the slope, let the sluff run its course then ski, nothing too complicated just common sense. I was getting some cracking on the slightly wind affected top of Cardiac Ridge but the wind stiffened snow was mostly relegated to the high ridge line. I would think the sluffing will be minimal tomorrow, the snow settled out quite a bit today with the warm temperatures and somewhat humid air.

Photos: skier triggered sluffs on Cardiac Ridge and the N facing Keyhole, cracking on the top of Cardiac Ridge.

I'm thinking the main avalanche concern tomorrow will be wet activity, with full sun and fairly warm temperatures and frozen hard bed surfaces on the high south facing things might become active on the south end of the compass.

Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate