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Observation: Cutler Ridge

Observation Date
3/20/2021
Observer Name
Derek DeBruin
Region
Ogden » Ben Lomond » Cutler Ridge
Location Name or Route
Ben Lomond, Cutler Ridge
Weather
Weather Comments
Weather forecast more or less verified. 38F or so at the trailhead just before 10am, which meant rain. By 10:30am the temps had dropped enough that precip was sleet/wintry mix, and by 11am it was all fully converted to fat flakes. Temps fell throughout our tour and were below freezing when we got back to the car around 2pm. Ridgelines were socked in by cloud, making it impossible to see anything above 8300ft or so from a distance. Interestingly, winds were still more or less out of the south until we got above 7500ft or so on Cutler Ridge, at which point they were clearly out of the northwest. Wind on Dead Tree knob was moderate at most; in other words, much less than I expected given the local telemetry and the general propensity for wind on Cutler.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
High
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
When the webcams, weather stations, and your eyeballs all tell you that its gotta be raining on the mountain, you can't be disappointed when this proves accurate despite your unjustified optimism to the contrary. We went hunting for the rain/snow line, and it was easily above 8000ft before the temps started crashing. By the time we reached this elevation the surface snow was hardening a bit, but not by much.
There was about 4" of new snow by the time we ripped skins, very dense at low elevations, and merely the regular kind of dense at mid elevation. Despite this, the riding was quite good. The snow surface was smoothed out from recent warm temps and the rain fall. The few inches on top made for creamy, fast turns atop some forgiving squish beneath.
New snow bonding was just okay. Hand pits met medium resistance. The new snow was quite cohesive and chunky. Hard turns kicked off chunks and rollers of new snow underfoot down to the old snow surface.
Comments
With the forecast temps overnight, I wouldn't be surprised to see enough freeze to make riding more challenging tomorrow as the dampness locks up.
It's still possible to skin all the way from the gate at the moment, but I don't expect that to last too much longer.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
None
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None