Observation: Cardiff Fork

Observation Date
12/6/2019
Observer Name
Hardesty, Wilson, Malone, Morgan, Henninger
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork
Location Name or Route
Alta-Toledo-Eyebrow-Ivory
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Warm; sunny aspects dampened and will be crusted in the morning. Saturday folks see if RR formed on top of crusts?
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
3"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Excellent and creamy skiing on sheltered aspects. Dust on crust on southerlies.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
No red flags noted on our tour other than general poor structure.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Problem #1 Comments
One might be inclined to have connected the dots between areas that naturalled during last Friday's cycle in upper Cardiac area but this left too much overhead hazard for collapse failure as well as uncertainty of previously mentioned repeaters. It'll be terrain for later. Similarly, bailed off a previous skinner that crossed high northerly terrain. Gagne mentioned today "previous tracks mean nothing" and he's right. This even applies to skin tracks.

No collapsing or cracking noted on tour in suspect terrain and snow pits point toward low probability high consequence persistent slab problem. This of course may change with impending storm.
Snow Profile
Aspect
West
Elevation
9,900'
North facing Cardiff Bowl naturalled during the storm wall to wall; can't remember seeing that wide of propagation before.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None