Wind Slabs
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Possible
- Größe
- 1–2
New snow will fall at the mid and upper elevations. Although it will not be a huge dump, remember that wind can pile up snow many times deeper than the storm accumulation. Most wind slab avalanches will be on the small side, but watch for those pieces of terrain that catch a lot of blowing snow. Use your evaluation skills to check for depth of wind deposits and reactivity of wind slabs before moving into avalanche terrain. Small safe test slopes are a great resource to check for depth of the slab, cracking in surface snow, and small avalanches before venturing into bigger and steeper terrain. As wind deposits become deeper, avalanches can become larger.
Use carefull evaluation in areas of sparse trees, clearings, and sections of dead forests. Open areas 'below treeline' can get enough blowing snow to create wind slabs.