Observation Date
12/2/2016
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork » Cardiac Ridge
Location Name or Route
Cardiac Ridge
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Cold with a few flakes in the AM, clear and calm in the PM until about 3 then the clouds rolled in.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments

4 to 5 of new super light density stellars, the blower that made Utah famous.

Comments

Travel today was from Alta Guard up Toledo Bowl, entering in to Cardiff Fork through Holy Toledo over to Hansen's, then Cardiac Ridge proper, and exiting out Ivory Flake into BCC. The new light density snow would easily sluff but it was so light that it packed zero punch. Walked up to the cliffs in Hansen's which is between Cardiac Bowl and Cardiac Ridge proper to see if there was any old faceted snow underlying the snow pack and found none, and did not note any weak layers in the pack. Had neither cracking or collapsing in todays travels. Thinking the south, south east facing may have got damp today and might have a zipper crust in the AM.

Photos: making my way up to look at the snow pack in the top of Hansen's, sluffing from our tracks in Holy Toledo, older new snow slide off the cliffs

I'm thinking the hazard is verging on low, probably still some isolated spots [ high, north, and rocky] that could catch a unsuspecting person but I think most terrain is in the low category. That being said thing can change rapidly this time of year, wind, and faceting of the surface, not to mention faceting of the whole pack in the starting zones that slid during our last cycle, No Name Bowl on the PC Ridgeline comes to mind.

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