Observation: Cardiff Fork

Observation Date
3/21/2016
Observer Name
Hardesty and Meisenheimer
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork
Location Name or Route
Cardiff-East Mineral
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Moderate winds; little snow to blow around.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

You wouldn't call it hero snow out there. Still, a few decent turns to be had in high northerly terrain and even a few supportable "corn" turns on mid-elevation west exiting East Mineral. Warm temps and cloud cover dampened the snow surfaces on high north up to 9700' and one could kick off a roller ball or two but that's about it.

Red Flags
Red Flags Comments
Mostly Low danger.
Comments

Both layers of graupel noted as "weak layers" within the upper meter of the snowpack; though I have found little correlation between their evidence/reactivity in the snowpit with actual avalanching in the backcountry. Not none, but little, and this is to mean a week or so after the event and subsequent loading. This is personal observation, agreed upon by a few others, but perhaps "more research is needed". Having said this, at least one avalanche fatality in Utah (1993) has been associated with graupel-pooling

Graupel of course common with highly convective, turbulent events with snowflakes picking up super-cooled water droplets within the cloud while the original snow crystal is maytagged through the event. Photos below of the radar image from last Monday, the evidence on the ground (courtesy of Powder Mtn snow safety Brian Pollick), and graupel under the microscope.

Video

Imagine that the new snow may bond well in some areas as it comes in warm...and perhaps bond poorly on many of the slick underlying crusts. See below as the sunscreen bottle experiences "slide for life" conditions.

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