Wind Slabs
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Possible
- Tamaño
- 1–2
For the most part, our wind slab avalanche problem is trending toward small and stubborn. Thursday's light winds and mild weather gave recently-formed wind slabs a chance to bond to the snow underneath. Observers found that wind slabs were mostly shallow and hard to trigger. At Tam Rim, a large cornice broke and triggered a small wind slab avalanche on a steep slope below.
Nevertheless, triggering a wind slab avalanche large enough to bury or injure a rider will be possible in steep, open terrain and below likely trigger points like cornices, cliffs, and steep convexities. Evaluate the snowpack carefully if you're traveling in complex terrain up high. Measuring the depth of wind deposits, doing hand shears and quick pits, or probing the snow with your ski pole handle are good tools for gathering information as you move through terrain.