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Observation: Cardiac Ridge

Observation Date
3/26/2018
Observer Name
Hardesty, Slack
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork » Cardiac Ridge
Location Name or Route
Cardiac Ridge
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Just enough sun to damage but not create (much) hazard on many sunny aspects. Clouds and intermittent lake effect showers played just enough cat and mouse with the sun.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
7"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

Racing against any sun-breaks to gain Cardiac Ridge. Makoff had put in most of the track. A little bit of bottom-feeding on off aspects and on steeper terrain mid-slope.

Red Flags
Red Flags Comments
None but some minor wet and dry sluffing on the steepest terrain. Some size .5 natural sluffing in the earliest hours off Cardiac Ridge and above Room of Doom. Some minor pushalanches at mid/lower elevations running easily on underlying crust.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northwest
Elevation
9,900'
Slope Angle
25°
Comments

Minor wet and dry sluffing the main issues in this deeper snowpack area (pic below). A couple size 1 natural wind slabs noted - the Keyhole into Cardiff had run with some wind loading - and covered by the overnight snowfall (pic below).

Some small grained rounding facets found at interface above the graupel layer. The 22 March rain crust - as Greg mentioned yesterday - makes for an excellent bed surface with graupel and rounding squares above. Just needs more of a load or in isolated areas with signif. graupel pooling on the crust.

Photos:

Looker's right and left show extent of natural wet loose and skier triggered dry loose

Recent natural wind pocket in the Keyhole entry from before the overnight snowfall

Damp pushalanches on test slopes in lower Toledo Gulley

Photo profile to accompany Snowpilot

​Rounding small grained facets above graupel

Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates