Observation: Cardiff Fork

Observation Date
1/6/2015
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork
Location Name or Route
Cardiff Fork
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Exceedingly warm in the afternoon sun, not much wind.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

Damp or a melt freeze crust on all southerly aspects depending on what time you were there. Also a zipper crust on E-NE that softened with the sun, was some what surprised to find a zipper crust on shady north, Key Hole entry into Cardiff at about 10200ft, that was not receiving enough sun to soften. Damp snow on all aspects at lower elevation, and a small scrap or two of dense powder in shady protected N facing, in the trees.

Comments

Figured today would be the day for wet activity and I was not disappointed, SE and S were becoming active around 11;00AM, mostly just point releases and rollerballs, but some of the steeper due south facing was releasing wet slides that would entrain quite a bit of snow and leave fairly large debris piles. Would not want to be on the steeper south facing when the snow was damp and active, or in any gullies below steep south facing terrain. Some of the SE facing slopes in Cardiff were becoming so saturated that you could see the free water traveling through the pack. Tomorrow morning most of these damp slopes will have a wicked breakable crust, the thin slice of decent skiing is getting smaller, wind, sun and old frozen tracks are taking their toll. Photos, wet slides and debris piles on due south facing Toledo Peak, some large pin wheels that rolled down the slope collecting ample snow, roller balls and wet activity on Superior, and SE facing Cardiac Ridge, some WISE travelers that waited for the sun to stop baking the SE before ascending Cardiac Ridge, and one of free water traveling through the snow pack on a SE facing slope in Cardiff.

Moderate for wet activity tomorrow but I doubt it will be as active as today.

Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate