Wind Slabs
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Possible
- Tamaño
- 1–1.5
As snow levels lower, a fresh round of winds and snowfall will build slabs back into the near treeline, while slightly larger slabs build above treeline. Saturday's breakable crust up to 6600 ft only had a dusting to an inch of snow on top of it. The crust should continue to strengthen and may become supportable by Sunday. You'll find the greatest hazard once the recent crust disappears. At these upper elevations, stronger winds will form slabs that may injure you. Near treeline, the depth of snow above the crust serves as a gauge for how much new snow has accumulated and how deep the drifts are in your terrain. Avalanches will most likely run on the crust. Once the drifts reach 6" or more, you can trigger an avalanche on a leeward slope 35 degrees or steeper. Small test slopes in wind-loaded terrain can give you a lot of information about the crust interface or old snow interface and the slab reactivity. We expect another day with limited visibility, so blowing snow and cracking beneath your mode of travel can also help you identify when conditions are becoming more hazardous.
Below treeline, we expect limited hazard without sufficient drifted snow above the refreezing crust.
Example: Shooting cracks like these coming from skis, snowshoes, feet, etc are indicators that a reactive wind slab exists.