Observation: Intermediate Ridge

Observation Date

12/19/2025

Observer Name

Torrey & Hughes

Region

Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork » Intermediate Ridge

Location Name or Route

Cardiff Fork

Weather

Sky

Overcast

Precipitation

Light Snowfall

Wind Direction

West

Wind Speed

Light

Weather Comments

Cloud cover and light winds helped keep temperatures cool above 9000 feet. Winds increased late afternoon. No precipitation during the day.

Snow Characteristics

New Snow Depth

New Snow Density

High

Snow Surface Conditions

Dense Loose

Melt-Freeze Crust

Snow Characteristics Comments

A mostly supportable crust found on upper elevation northerly slopes up. This was less of a crust and more stiff wet snow that froze and became a harder surface layer. Thickness varied with elevation. Facets were consistently found directly below a thin crust below the dust/graupel layer. Best riding was found on southerly facing slopes where despite the thin coverage offered smooth and very supportable turning conditions.

Red Flags

Poor Snowpack Structure

Avalanche Problem #1

Problem

Persistent Weak Layer

Trend

Increasing Danger

Problem #1 Comments

There are 2 distinct structures I've observed in the last 3 days. The first structure worth noting is found on upper elevation slopes that avalanched during the December 6-7 avalanche cycle. Here, the snow depth is very shallow. 6 to 12 inches and consists entirely of faceted snow. The bad news is that this structure is common throughout many of the popular backcountry skiing slopes in Cardiff Fork and Days Fork. The other common structure I've noticed is in more sheltered north-facing terrain that did not avalanche; here, the snowpack is closer to 2-2.5 feet deep. The Persistent Weak Layer near the base of the snowpack has been inconsistent in producing propagating in stability tests. However, another notable layer is developing directly below the thin temperature crust now buried below a few inches of recent storm snow.