Wind Slabs
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Likely
- Tamaño
- 1–2.5
Expect to find large new wind slabs that could be easy to trigger from the weight of a person. You could find and trigger a new wind slab on steep slopes above 3000 feet in elevation that face north, east, or south. Consistent wind loading will continue to add volume and stress to new wind slabs which could allow for naturally-occurring, spontaneous avalanches today. These avalanches could be multiple feet thick, large enough to bury one or more people, and in some areas they could have enough destructive potential to destroy small trees.
Conservative decision making around avalanche terrain will be essential today as new wind slabs build and change. Conditions lower in elevation may not be representative of the conditions in higher elevation terrain, even within the same terrain feature. The most obvious signs of dangerous wind slabs will include deep wind drifts forming in wind-protected areas, long & shooting cracks underneath your feet, and snow being transported at the ridgelines (which may also cause poor visibility).