With very light dry snow having fallen and very strong outflow winds happening, snow is being actively transported and creating reactive windslabs. With the way wind gets funneled around the mountainous areas of Douglas and the intensity of the winds it is possible to find reactive wind slab on all aspects of upper and mid elevations today. Wind slab can be identified by smooth or fat looking pockets, hollow or drum sounds, and shooting cracks and collapsing when travelled on. Try and avoid pockets of wind slab especially on steeper slopes and near terrain traps. Snow on lower angle terrain in wind protected areas will most likely ski/ride the best.
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While wind slab is usually found on leeward aspects, due to the very light dry nature of the new snow combined with very strong Northerly outflow winds there could be pockets of wind slab on all aspects in upper and mid elevations that are very reactive to triggering.
Much needed snow returned to the region in the form of super low density champagne powder with up to 8 inches falling in upper elevations. This new snow fell on top of variable snow surface conditions with areas of protected snow, wind scoured firm spots, and older pockets of wind slab. This unconsolidated new snow was not bonding well to older firm surfaces yesterday and was sluffing off of steep areas. Strong Northerly outflow winds began to ramp up yesterday and continued overnight and into this morning transporting new snow and creating reactive wind slabs. This wind event is forecasted to last the entire weekend with the NWS extending a high wind warning until 9:00pm Sunday and has the potential to be the strongest Taku wind event of the season. Some of this snow will simply sublimate into the atmosphere but there is potential for wind slab to be found all over Douglas especially at upper elevations. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route finding, and conservative decision making are essential today with considerable hazard.
