Summit Lake

Problemas de aludes

• 

  Persistent Slabs

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Alta montaña
  • Límite del bosque
  • Bajo el límite del bosque

  Probabilidad

  Possible

  Tamaño

  1–2

  Yesterdays winds (40+ mph gusts) blew snow onto wind loaded slopes in the form of small wind slabs. New and old wind slabs sitting over a weak layer of faceted snow 6 to 12” deep will be the most likely place to trigger a small avalanche in steep wind loaded terrain. That being said this is becoming more unlikely due to the lack of snowfall. Steep slopes with hard snow and a “pillowy” surface in loaded gullies and below ridgelines will be the likely place to find these wind slabs. 

  Consider testing small safe slopes to see how easy it may be to trigger an avalanche. This video gives a basic example of slope testing. This technique is for small inconsequential slopes where your partner is in a safe spot and not for big faces where even a small avalanche could take you on a long nasty ride.

  Glide Avalanches: Glide cracks will still likely release as large glide avalanches at some point this winter. Although the glide avalanche activity has slowed down it is still a good idea to limit time spent under these cracks. 

  I thought this could be a good time to expand on wind slab formation to those interested. Blowing snow tends to form wind slabs below ridgelines where ridgetop winds transfer snow from one slope exposed to the wind (windward) to the slopes protected from the wind (leeward). Snow can also blow from the top of convex terrain features and deposit wind slabs towards the bottom of them. These two processes are called top loading. Winds can also blow through valleys depositing snow across slopes in low points such as gullies (crossloading). This is why we may say "Look out for wind slabs below ridgeline, convex rollovers and loaded gullies" and can give you a better picture of where wind slabs exist when you are in the backcountry.