Travel was from the Alta Guard Station up to SE facing Cardiff Bowl for a run then onto E-NE facing Cardiac Ridge. The snow was a bit deeper than expected and it was a bit of work breaking trail. Dug a snow pit on due N right under Cardiff Peak, not a whole lot going on, damp at the ground interface, then moving up through the pack 2 finger, 3finger then fist, right side up and stable. Dug another hole at the top of Cardiac Ridge, the snow was a little deeper but had basically the same structure, only difference is that the damp snow layer at the ground was thicker. We were seeing around 3 feet of snow on the ridge. There was evidence of shallow sluffing off the upper rocks and two small avalanches with crowns out of the main line but they did not propagate any action on the main slope.

photos: small avalanche in the main line on Cardiac Ridge, sluffing off the upper rock bands, snow pit on Cardiac Ridge, and the snow pit under Cardiff Peak, and damp snow at the ground.

Things seemed stable today but that might be the end of the window of opportunity, with wind and denser snow in the forecast, seeing that denser wind driven snow is going to land on fat pile of light density snow, the crusted south facing might not be as suspect.