Wind Slabs
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Very Likely
- Größe
- 1–2
Heavy snowfall and strong winds from the southwest have formed sensitive wind slabs on a variety of aspects above 8,000’. Large avalanches that are human triggered, or release naturally, are likely in steep terrain today. Depending on location, these slabs lie upon faceted snow, hard melt-freeze crusts, or wind packed snow. Wind slabs could fail on these recently buried surfaces, or on density breaks within the storm snow with depths ranging from 1-3 feet today. Avalanches failing on density breaks will be on the shallower end of that range, while slides failing on old snow will be deeper. Storm snow instabilities may also be found in terrain sheltered from the wind.
Be prepared to encounter unstable snow and heads up conditions if travelling in the mountains today. Obvious signs of instability such as recent avalanches, shooting cracks, and collapsing indicate that the snow is ripe for avalanching. Triggering avalanches from a distance is possible today. Given the potential for natural avalanches, it will be critical to consider the terrain that lies above you. This includes snowmobile trails that cross avalanche paths or steep road cuts. Traveling in, near, or under avalanche terrain is not recommended today.