Observation: Cardiac Ridge

Observation Date
10/28/2019
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork » Cardiac Ridge
Location Name or Route
Cardiac
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Cold and clear with NW winds moving snow on the higher ridgelines and peaks, getting down lower in the drainage as the day progressed.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
6"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
6 to 7 inches of new light density snow that did not provide much cushion from the rocks. Even through the air temperature was cold the S and SE facing was damp on my exit.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Wind Loading
Comments
Wanted to get one last look at Cardiac before tomorrow’s storm. The light density snow did quite a bit of sluffing in steeper terrain, Cardiac Ridge, Cardiac Bowl, and LSB. The most sluffing was on the E facing due to the light density of the snow and the slick melt freeze bed surface that was created on Friday when it got warm. There was one soft slab that came off the ridge and I put that on the avy list. It’s kind of a tricky deal out there, there’s slick melt freeze crusts on the E, SE, S and SW, decomposing wind skins and wind slabs on the N and not much snow at the mid elevations. With the temperatures being so cold it doesn’t seem likely that we will overload any crusts or wind slabs making slides go into old snow but I could see some action happening on the slick bed surfaces near the top. Wind will be the biggest factor in building slabs.
photos: sluffing in the bowl, ridge, and LSB, snow pit at 10700ft E facing on the ridge, NW winds moving snow on The Ridge and Superior, melt freeze crust on E facing and a wet pushalanche on my exit
Today's Observed Danger Rating
None
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None