Wind slabs are slowly bonding, but may remain triggerable on lee slopes.
Expect to find wind slabs in irregular terrain, even in openings below treeline.
Strong northerly wind has formed wind slabs on leeward east, south, and west aspects, which is irregular. Expect to find slabs on any steep open slope, including openings below treeline.
Several size 1.5-2 wind slabs occurred on southwesterly slopes in the Pine Pass during Tuesday and Wednesday's strong winds.
The North Rockies field team also observed shooting cracks at Morfee on Tuesday - see photo.
Looking forward, riders could trigger wind slab avalanches on any wind-loaded slope, even in lower-elevation terrain below treeline.
Please share any observations to the Mountain Information Network.
Previous strong northerly winds funnelled deep into valleys and formed extensive wind slabs in leeward southerly terrain. This included lower elevations with openings below treeline. Check all steep open slopes for slabs before committing to them.
In some areas, the wind stripped the snow in wind-exposed terrain down to the early-February melt-freeze crust. In wind-sheltered terrain, around 50 cm of snow overlies the crust. Surface hoar may sit on the crust in treeline in isolated features that are protected from the wind.
The remainder of the snowpack is consolidated with no layers of concern.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -17 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -17 °C.
Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -19 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
