Forecaster Observation - China Basin/Werner Peak, Whitefish Range

We rode into China Basin from the Big Creek Rd. on the North Fork side of the Whitefish Range. During the snowmobile ride in on the road we observed several small to medium wet, loose avalanches that reached the road. These likely occurred last Wednesday during the rapid warming with some rain at lower elevations. 

Once at upper elevations, we dug two pits on the northeast aspect of Werner Mountain. On a more exposed northeast aspect prone to wind loading and wind affect, we found a variable snowpack depth (120 to 180 cm) and no surface hoar. However, just slightly lower in a more sheltered area, we observed 4 to 5 mm surface hoar just 3 to 4 inches from the surface. In both pits we observed no fracture propagation during our Extended Column Tests. However, during compression tests (CT) in our upper pit, hard force (CT 24) fractured the facets near the ground. The thin layer of facets about 40 cm (16 inches) required moderate to hard force to fracture in compression tests as well (CT 16 Q3).

The newly buried surface hoar as well as the January 19 melt-freeze crust could become an issue once a slab builds on these layers. Thus, these layers are worth tracking and keeping an eye on in the coming days.