Wind Slabs
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Possible
- Tamaño
- 1–2
On Friday, I observed wind blown snow along the obsidian flow (see picture). The wind slabs that I found were pretty thin and also limited, but I won't rule out avalanches large enough to bury or injure a rider. We tend to locate Wind Slab avalanches at upper elevations where the wind can blow more freely, but at Newberry Crater we see them below treeline as well because the wind can move a lot of snow along the lava fields and the wind blows freely off the lakes. Watch for cracking in the surface snow as you travel through it. Textures like in my picture that indicate either wind scouring, or wind deposited snow are other good clues to look for.
(1/9/2026)
Wind effect along the obsidian flow
Photo: Gabriel Coler