Today I headed to Cardiac Ridge via the Alta guard station, the snow at the trail head was basically slush and stayed that way at least halfway up To Cardiff Bowl, where I was able to put my skis on and skin to the pass, the new snow remained dense and damp on all elevations and aspects I visited today. I dug a hand pit under Cardiff Peak due N facing and noted about a foot to 16 inches of snow that was all damp to some degree, damp new snow on the surface, then a 2 inch melt-freeze crust, with snow less damp than the surface under that but you could easily make a snowball with it, and finally damp large grained snow at the dirt interface. I got close to 10,600ft on the ridge and the pack was still moist. I would expect things to seize up with colder temperatures but with such a shallow snow pack it won’t take long for faceting if we get cold clear nights. The only hazard today seemed to be slipping on the melt-freeze crust below the new snow but the new damp snow seemed well bonded to the crust. By the time I left I had to walk the whole way out due to daytime melting.

photos: snow pit under Cardiff Peak, damp snowball snow on the ridge, and the dense snow filling in things a bit