Observation: Cutler Ridge

Today I wanted to look at mid-elevation north-facing and south-facing terrain. The south-facing aspects are what you would expect, seemed to fall on bare ground and only about 30cm at 7990'. The snow surface is very firm, and the snow on the ground seems to be rounding. The north facing terrain is a different story, on a North aspect at 7800' the upper 35cm of the snowpack is 4 fingers hard settled new snow. The bottom 45cm of snow is very weak, faceted snow. The faceted grains are beginning at cup and have large striations. I got an ECTP22 down 55cm within the weak faceted snow. While I was not seeing the same wide-spread cracking, and collapsing as in recent days. The snowpack structure is still incredibly weak, and will not be healing anytime soon. I think it still holds a large potential for remotely triggered avalanches, especially at upper elevations. Continue to make conservative decision making, and I would continue to avoid upper elevation north-facing avalanche terrain. I think across the entire Wasatch, this weak faceted snow on the ground is going to take a long time to heal.

South-facing pit profile - shallow and firm on the surface.

Mid-elevation north-facing pit, a very weak snowpack structure ECPT22 down 55cm into the weak faceted grains.

Faceted grains in the lower half of the pit - striations beginning to form.

Obvious signs of the previously elevated winds over the last few days.

A variety of snow surfaces while traveling in the backcountry today. In north-facing or protected terrain, the snow surface was still soft. Anything that was south facing had become damp throughout the day, and was becoming firm on the ski-out. Above 7500' there were obvious signs of the elevated winds from earlier in the week, such as wind texture and exposed ice at upper elevation southerlys.