Wind Slabs
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Possible
- Größe
- 1–1.5
Fresh snow along with sustained westerly winds on Saturday will create new wind slabs in specific locations. Wind slabs will not be everywhere, so use a keen eye to look for visual clues as to where wind slabs have formed.
Look for new cornices or a rough, wavy, or chalky texture on the snow surface to indicate where wind slabs have formed. It is important to remember that wind deposits can be many times deeper than the accumulated storm snow. Montior the depth of wind drifted snow as you move through lee terrain below ridge tops and around features that catch blowing snow. As you observe increased depth of wind loaded snow, expect resulting avalanches to become larger. If you observe cracking in wind deposited snow or recent wind slab avalanches, be cautious on wind loaded slopes over 30 degrees.
Most wind slab avalanches will be on the small side. As wind deposited snow becomes deeper, expect resulting avalanches to become larger. Be especially cautious on wind loaded slopes that are exposed to terrain traps.