Observation: Cardiff Fork

Observation Date
2/21/2015
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork
Location Name or Route
Cardiac Ridge
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Broken skies with periods of light snowfall, flat light unless you timed it right. Not much wind to speak of, greenhousing a bit with thin clouds and sun, also felt a bit humid.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
12"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

Easy 10 to 12 inches of new snow on Cardiac Ridge, a layer of graupel and medium density snow capped off by 8 inches of light density powder, non-wind affected. SE was crusted or damp in the afternoon.

Comments

Wow! what a difference a foot of new snow makes! The new snow was well behaved on all but the steepest slopes where it would sluff. The sluffing was of two kinds, most was occurring within the upper portion of the new snow and not entraining much snow or running very far, but I did get one soft slab to release on a steep rocky slope at the top of Cardiac Ridge which ran on the old melt freeze crust and did entrain all the new snow leaving only the slick bed surface. I would think S, SE, and maybe SW will have a crust in the morning, fairly benign avalanche conditions, no cohesive slab no real avalanches. Photos, soft slab that ran on the old slick melt-freeze crust and the small crown, sluffing in the new snow, breaks of clearing during the day, the man with a plan Brad Makoff doing his thing,

Thinking low tomorrow unless the wind slabs things up or the heat gets turned on.

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