Wind Slabs
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Likely
- Tamaño
- 1–2
On Saturday I was able to trigger small wind slabs on north facing lee slopes at Santiam Pass. Some of the crowns were shallow while others were up to 20” tall.
For Sunday, wind slabs will continue to be likely on northwest, north, northeast, east and southeast slopes near and above treeline. Wind slabs often form below ridgelines where large drifts of snow have developed. Wind slabs can also form on features that collect snow and/or at lower elevation zones where the wind has moved snow (i.e. burned forest). Look for clues such as textured snow surface and pillow-like features. I often use small and safe indicator slopes to assess for instability. If you see recent avalanches, cracking in the snow, or have uncertainty in the snowpack, move to slopes under 30 degrees.
With plenty of snow available for transport and more snow forecasted, wind slabs will continue to build. Remember that wind slabs can accumulate 3-5x deeper than the snow totals that have fallen.