Observation Date
1/9/2018
Observer Name
Cody Hughes
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork
Location Name or Route
Cardiff Fork
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Moderate Snowfall
Wind Direction
South
Wind Speed
Strong
Weather Comments
Was in the mountains from 7:30 to 11am. Light rain below 8,800ft. Heavy dense snow falling above that. Warm and windy drifting snow along the ridgelines.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
High
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Saturated and unsupportable at the rain snow line. Very dense snow above that. Made for a long slow sticky exit out of Cardiff fork.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Heavy Snowfall
Wind Loading
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Biggest red flag of the day was the Collapsing and Cracking. It was quite spooky. Every other step was associated with large collapses and at times shooting cracks. It was blowing and snowing forming dense slabs on top of our fragile snowpack. The poor structure now has the load...
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Problem #1 Comments
The setup is now there. Strong over weak. I feel like I left the mountains just as the scales were being tipped or stress was out weighing the strength. I felt as if things were about to come unglued. The collapses today were full on and a sign that we have Persistent weak layers that are being reactivated with the new snow and wind especially with the water or SWE that was accompaning that new snow. I expect a natural avalanche cycle tonight and into tomorrow.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Problem #2 Comments
Winds are blowing and transporting new snow on top of our poorly structured snowpack. Any wind slab triggered has the potential to step down to weaker layers deeper in the snowpack and could potentially propagate a lot farther than expected.
Video
Snowpit - NE 9750ft 27 degree slope.
Height of snow was 110cm and the failure occurs 55cm down on the facets formed during the long period of high pressure in December (before the christmas storm).
**Its important to note that when doing an ECT the main focus is propagation across the column and not so much the sheer quality or (Q number). In this test we get an ECTP 22 SC. Not a super clean sheer but nonetheless a propagation across the entire column and sudden collapse.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Extreme
