Wind Slabs
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Likely
- Tamaño
- 1–2
Wind slabs have developed at ridge crest - keep this problem in mind lee features in the Alpine.
New snow staying dry northerly aspects tree line and above. SW winds building fresh wind slab at ridge crest. Below tree line crusts beginning to break down by early afternoon.
Wind slabs have developed at ridge crest - keep this problem in mind lee features in the Alpine.
Cornices are large and menacing. Variable Spring conditions can make them solid one moment and fragile the next. Always a good idea to avoid them. Consider them large triggers on the slopes below and inherently dangerous by their mass.
This problem can range from unreactive to touchy depending on changing daily weather conditions especially as temps rise and solar input occurs. Many loose dry seen this week initiating in the alpine, becoming loose wet and gaining mass up to size 2.
Mix of sun and cloud Thursday with some isolated flurries. Winds becoming light from the West and freezing level to 1800m. Overnight freezing level falls to valley bottom. Sunny periods Friday with continued light westerly winds and a freezing level up to 2000m. Minimal precipitation into the weekend with daytime temperatures continuing to rise.
15cm of new snow fell Tuesday above 1700m. This overlies temperature crust on steep solar aspects. Sheltered locations may hold 15-30cm of spring powder snow over previous wind surfaces and crusts. Several thick and thin crusts exist in the upper snowpack depending on aspect, elevation, and angle. The mid pack is supportive and well consolidated.
Icefield's patrol on April 26 and 27 noted several loose dry avalanches becoming loose wet up to size 2 mainly solar triggered. A skier remote wind slab size 1.5, 5-30cm deep at ridge crest seen Parkers area running within the storm snow. Consult the Mountain Information Network for recent observations; share your obs by submitting a MIN report