Wind Slabs
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Possible
- Größe
- 1–2
On Friday I did not encounter any reactive wind slabs. However, I did find up to 45 cm (18") thick wind slabs on top of the old snow surface. I also observed quite a lot of blowing snow on Friday and wind slabs will continue to build. Based on the amount of blowing snow I observed and depth of recently formed slabs, I declare that we give this problem another day and keep it in mind when venturing into the mid and upper elevations on Saturday.
Places like under ridgetops and high points are the classic features where wind slabs form. Also watch for gullys and other pieces of terrain that accumulate snow as it moves across a mountainside. Monitor the depth of recently formed wind slabs if you have a safe place to do so. Deeper slabs can generally produce larger avalanches. Signs of unstable snow such as shooting cracks or previous avalanches are indicators that you can trigger an avalanche. Remember, you can always avoid wind loaded slopes if you have uncertainty about the stability.