Wind Slabs
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Possible
- Größe
- 1–2
Wind slabs still linger in isolated pockets within the BWRA. After this week's small storms slowly accumulated 6" of new snow, the wind has continued to transport snow and create instability. The new snow fell on the March 10th rain crust creating a slick bed surface that made it difficult for the new snow to bond with the old snow. The continued snowfall throughout the week, moderate wind speeds, and pronounced bed surface have formed wind slabs on lee aspects above and near the tree line. If you trigger a wind slab it may not be big enough to bury you but it will certainly knock you off your intended course and possibly into high-consequence terrain below you, choose your route thoughtfully. There is a high degree of spatial variability with wind slab problems, as wind transports now across the landscape it s distributed unevenly, with the depth and density of the slab varying. Watch for a smooth pillow-like appearance on the surface of the snow and the feel of the snow surface under your snowmobile track to gather clues on where the wind slab is present today.