Observation: Cardiff Fork

Observation Date
2/19/2020
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork
Location Name or Route
Cardiff Fork
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Warmer than yesterday, clear skies and light winds.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Powder on N, E and W, damp or melt freeze crust on S, SE and SW depending on time of day. South and maybe a touch of east will be crusted in the AM.
Comments
Travel was from the Alta Guard up over Cardiff Peak with entry into Cardiff Fork via N facing Power Outage. The snow on the S facing was starting to get damp and go off around 11:00am. A quick ski cut in the top of Power Outage produced a 10 inch deep windslab that ran down to lower angle terrain. The other side of Power Outage produced some long running sluffs in the light density snow. Haven't been in Cardiff since the weekend storm and noted large avalanches on Cardiac Ridge, Hansen's and the Ivory Rock Slabs. The snow seemed mostly stable with the exception of wind slabs on the high N facing and long running sluffs in steeper terrain. If we get a more pronounced warm up wet activity on the S facing may come into play.
Photos: wind slab that I triggered with a ski cut, long running sluffs, prior activity on the Ivory Rock Slabs.
I'd probably keep the hazard at moderate due to wind slabs and maybe wet activity
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate