Observation: Cardiac Ridge

Observation Date
12/26/2018
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork » Cardiac Ridge
Location Name or Route
Cardiac
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
North
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Cold with mostly cloudy skies, instability showers until around noon, light N winds on the ridge lines.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
6"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
It seemed like 6 to 8 inches of new snow by the time the instability showers ended at noon. The new snow was super light density cold smoke non wind affected in the terrain covered. I don’t think there was enough sun to dampen the S facing and I’m thinking it will still be powder in the AM
Comments
Spent the day in Cardiac today, Keyhole, Hansens and Cardiac Ridge. The new snow had either sluffed already or was easy to coax into sluffing with ski cuts in steeper terrain, some of the sluffs ran a good distance but the light density snow was not packing much of a punch. I did note one larger soft-slab, sluff in E facing Cardiac Bowl that entrained more snow and ran a greater distance than the others. The new snow seemed fairly well behaved today but any bump in wind speeds will transport the light density snow with ease and could lead to suspect wind loading. Same deal today as yesterday, no load, no slab, no avalanches.
photos: larger soft-slab, sluff on E facing Cardiac Bowl, some from the Ridge and one off of Toledo Pk
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate