Quick report
Started my day at the Hellgate condominiums and walked up the east ridge of Mt. Superior via Cardiff pass. Car thermometer read in the 20s at 8:00AM. Spent most of the day in the cardiac chutes/bowl area, which were groomed flat by the wind. Cardiac bowl provided better than expected skiing with the occasional pocket of punchy, wind drifted snow. This seemed to be more common as the compass tilted E/SE.
Snowpack
Variable snow conditions on NE aspects above 10,000 feet. widespread wind effect scattered pockets, of deep, punchy snow throughout the underlying chunder from weeks past. More of an ACL/MCL hazard than an avalanche hazard. Occasionally a few good turns in unconsolidated faceted snow were to be had, however it quickly sluffed off to the hard bed surface below. On solar aspects a melt freeze crust was present at all elevations I traveled today (8600-11,100). similar to the shaded aspects there were pockets of wind drifted snow, which were notably damp by 11:30. Would have been fairly easy to trigger a wet loose avalanche on these aspects/pockets of snow by 1:00. Good corn skiing found in the afternoon on low angle S facing slopes off Cardiff pass... if you can avoid the rocks!