Observation: Cardiff Fork

Observation Date
3/10/2013
Observer Name
Bruce Tremper
Region
Salt Lake
Location Name or Route
Alta to Cardiac Bowl and Cardiac Ridge
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
North
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Bluebird with a cool to cold wind blowing from the north.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
6"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments

Six inches of new snow on Saturday and Sunday morning helped improve riding conditions quite a bit. Unfortunately, the north wind blew fairly hard at the end of the storm and there is quite a bit of wind damage in the upper elevation alpine terrain. But you can still find some sheltered areas with good riding. All the sun exposed slopes are sun crusted.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Wind Loading
Cracking
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
The main probles are lingering wind slabs, which are mostly shallow, and wet sluffs of the new snow as it heated up in the sun. Both problems are manageable and avalanches are fairly small.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments

There are widespread areas of wind affected snow at upper elevation wind exposed terrain from a strong north wind at the end of the weekend storm. Most of these slabs are very 'manageable" meaning that they are easy to recognize and avoid. Even when you do trigger one, they are mostly shallow--less than a foot deep. I saw perhaps a half dozen natural slabs that happened during the storm and perhaps a dozen shallow soft slabs triggered by skiers and boarders in the last day and a half. As near as I can tell, no one was caught in any of these and most were 6 inches deep and not very wide.

Lots of slopes have many tracks in the Cardiff drainage and the South Face of Superior had wall-to-wall tracks.

Most of these wind slabs should settle out fairly quickly.

Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wet Snow
Problem #2 Comments

I saw dozens of shallow wet sluffs and slabs as the new snow heated up in the strong sun today. Most of the natural avalanches came off of rocks that heat up in the sun and there were a number of skier triggered wet sluffs in steep terrain. These were mostly small and very manageable. Again, the South Face of Superior was tracked out wall to wall with many small sluffs triggered as well.

It appears that warming will be gradual over the next few days so these should settle out fairly quickly before the heating becomes a larger problem.

Comments

Top photo: wind effects in Cardiac Bowl

Second photo: wind effects in Mineral Fork in the foreground with the big peaks of Dromedary and Twins in the background.

Third photo: many small, wet sluffs triggered by skiers and boarders on south facing Flagstaff as the new snow heated up in the sun

Fourth photo: natural wet sluffs from the rocks in Cardiff Bowl