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Observation: Cardiac Ridge

Observation Date
2/24/2020
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork » Cardiac Ridge
Location Name or Route
Cardiac Ridge
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Strong
Weather Comments
Overcast skies, and cold with a few sucker holes mid-day, fairly strong NW winds on the high ridge line and down in the drainage, light snowfall not adding up to much.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
There was about 4 inches of new light density snow this morning, sitting on a variety of bed surfaces, melt- freeze crust on the S wind slab or wind crust on exposed terrain, soft dense settled powder in sheltered areas. At lower elevations exiting out of BCC snow amounts dropped to an inch.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Comments
Travel today was up to Cardiff Peak From LCC entering Cardiff Fork through the N facing Power Outage then a run on Hansen's and the main line off the top of Cardiac Ridge with an exit out to BCC. The wind was blasting most of the day but only produced shallow soft slabs with out much punch, the new snow was sliding on the recrystallized powder underneath not the slick rain/rime crust. Stomped on some wind slabs on a E facing test slope with only the new snow moving. Ended up booting to the top of Cardiac Ridge because it was too slick to skin but even up there in the wind zone the snow was well behaved.
photos: tests slope results and a video of activity on the top of Cardiac Ridge which was minimal
Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low