Quick report
Headed to Cardiff Fork today from Alta, using the N facing Power Outage as a entry, the steep N had a bit of a grabby crust under the new light density but as soon as the angle eased up the crust was no longer a factor. We proceeded out to the Rock Slabs above Ivory Flakes, which had a large avalanche on the northern end, we used the bed surface of the old slide as a safe route up to the slabs and skied the flank. Things seemed pretty locked in place today, no cracking, collapsing, or any other signs of instability. There was a bit of sluffing in steeper terrain but it was not packing much of a punch. Some good avalanche viewing on they way up the canyon and on the walk up, most notably Toledo Bowl, which hit the Peruvian parking lot, East Hellgate, and Superior. The only large avalanche noted in Cardiff Fork was the Rock Slabs which was over 250 ft wide and ran quite a distance in lower angle terrain.
photos: rock slab avalanche, Toledo Bowl, E Hellgate and superior, sluffing on the steep N and 5 inches of ski penetration on the down
Snowpack
The snow on the south facing was starting to go off around noon, there was about 3 or 4 inches of light density snow resting on a rime crust that you could feel on the steep N facing but less steep E facing had more of a spongy base underlying it. The amount of light density decreased with elevation loss.