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Observation: Cardiac Ridge

Observation Date
3/7/2017
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork » Cardiac Ridge
Location Name or Route
Cardiac
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Quite a bit warmer and the SW winds continued to blow throughout the day but they winds speeds had decrease quite a bit from yesterdays, and were mainly on the ridge lines and not down in the drainages.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

The constant wind in the last few days has thickened and settled out the new light density snow from Sunday night, in some exposed spots it has also created trap door wind crusts and wind slabs capable of stopping you cold when you hit them. There was some damp snow lower down in the drainages on SE and S aspects but the wind, cool temperatures and the density of the surface snow kept the wet activity to a minimum.

Comments

Todays route was the Alta Guard up to LSB NE facing then on to Cardiac Ridge with a exit out Ivory Flakes. The continued wind from last night had stiffened up the surface snow but it still was boot deep and creamy. Didn't see a whole lot of avalanche activity from Sunday and Mondays storm but there was one wind slab on Cardiac Ridge that looked to have pulled out yesterday sometime. Wind slabs were more prevalent at the bottoms of the slopes than at the tops, caused by wind channeling around terrain features on the lower portions of the slopes. I stomped on some pretty hard wind slabs in the top of LSB and Cardiac Ridge and was able to get them to crack but they were stubborn and did not want to move. The wind from the SW continued to move snow on the high ridge line and there might be a few sensitive wind slabs in the AM but this time of year they tend to settle out rapidly with the warming of the day. The surface snow was too stiff to allow any sluffing and I think the main hazard tomorrow will be wet activity with daytime heating if it decides to get warm tomorrow.

Photos: the only wet activity noted today on SE facing Cardiac Ridge, Wind still moving some snow on the high ridge line, and the wind slab that pulled out probably yesterday.

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