White Rock Mtn

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/03/2016
Name: Zach Guy
Subject: White Rock Mtn
Aspect: South West, West, North West
Elevation: 9,500-13,400 ft

Avalanches: No recent avalanche activity observed. Plenty of crowns from Feb 1 cycle still visible, and a handful of old wet loose, some reaching D2 in size that gouged to the ground, from our mid-February warm-up on southerly aspects N/BTL above Copper Creek. One D1 wind slab on a crossloaded N aspect above treeline on White Rock that probably ran around 2/23.
Weather: Warm temps. Light westerly winds. Thin few clouds this morning increased to thin overcast by late afternoon.
Snowpack: W/NW slopes near treeline were all weak facets, ski pen occasionally to the ground. Thin, unsupportive melt-freeze crusts emerged on due west NTL. Surfaces are variable above treeline; lots of pencil or knife hard wind board, some soft sastrugi, meltfreeze crusts starting on W aspects and becoming thicker towards SW. Very small surface facets above these surfaces on northerly tilts. A lot of NW facing slopes ATL are blown out to dirt. I jumped onto a SW slope below treeline in the afternoon. The top few inches were very wet, but the snowpack was still supportive. No signs of instability.