Observation Date
2/10/2015
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork
Location Name or Route
Cardiff Fork
Weather
Sky
Broken
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Broken skies and sun in the morning, dropping clouds and a tiny bit of snowfall in the afternoon. Fairly warm temperatures not much wind.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

New snow was 10% density according to Matt Mckee LCC U-Dot employee when I spoke with him at the trail head, non wind affected, with a layer of graupel underlying it. Graupel probably fell during the cold front passage yesterday.

Comments

Went to Cardiff to get in a area at higher elevation with the most new snow, the higher new snow amounts were required to keep you off the old snow surface. New snow seemed well bonded on all but the steepest terrain with a slick melt freeze crust underlying it. Sluffing seemed pretty minimal in the terrain covered also. The sun did some damage to the south facing aspects in the morning but the afternoon clouds and somewhat cool temperatures kept it fairly minor, SE, S will be crusted in the AM not so sure about SW, some of the due east was also getting damp but a clear cold night might heal that problem. Snow amounts went from 4 inches in the upper bowls to 1 to 2 down at the mine, just a skiff down lower. Photos, fairly long running natural sluff off the rock slabs in Ivory Flakes, clouds dropping in the afternoon, not much going on in the avalanche world but the skiing improved for the time being.

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