Observation: Cascade Ridge

2"

Medium

Melt-Freeze Crust

Damp

On north facing slopes above 8000 feet, there was about 2-3 inches of damp powder (becoming less damp up high). There was evidence of wind-related activity on the highest ridges from during the storm, but all the snow I observed today was well bonded. There really wasn't enough new snow to worry about either way, but the weather on Wednesday and this (Thurs) morning conspired to make it especially tame. As for the existing snow, I can't imagine feeling much more confident in a spring snowpack. The two periods of intense cold that we've had in the last week or so have created a well behaved avalanche dragon for the moment. I did not see any evidence of recent wet slides, and would expect this trend to continue for the next few days with cool-to-cold temps and cloud cover forecast (and snow, of course) for the next several days. Tonight's (Thursday night - Friday morning) lows don't look to be as cold as Wed night - Thursday morning, but I think with the moderate heat added to the snowpack tonight, tomorrow shouldn't be a red flag day, and the skiing should continue to be superb. Any snow that falls on Saturday should bond very well to the warm homogenous snow surfaces at all elevations. For those considering S. Wasatch approaches, the snow level seems to be about 7500 feet on sheltered terrain. There isn't much, if any, S facing snow below 8500 feet.