Observation: Cardiac Bowl

Observation Date
12/3/2020
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork » Cardiac Bowl
Location Name or Route
Cardiac
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Light
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Faceted Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
There's a mix of surfaces in upper Cardiac, facets to the ground, decomposing wind board and crusts, and some newly formed windslabs from the last couple days, the S facing has a melt-freeze crust that never softened up much today.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Comments
Took a walk from the Alta guard to upper Cardiac today, in the wind exposed high alpine there are a few new windslabs that are resting on faceted snow, and are reactive to weight with cracking, these slabs are not big enough to cause any real issues but it's something to remember in steep radical terrain. In most of the terrain covered the snow is breaking down and faceting but not as fast as other areas that have less overall snow (ie PC Ridgeline). I'm keeping my eye out for terrain that has melted out, mostly S facing, or slopes that have very little snow and what they have is crusted, lower elevations. These will be the go to slopes to go to when it does snow, also slopes less than 30 degrees in steepness.
photos: newly formed wind slabs just under 11,000ft, and a look at upper Cardiac
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low