Wind Slabs
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Possible
- Tamaño
- 1–2
Saturday, a group triggered two wind slabs south of Copper Mountain on steep, upper elevation, northerly aspects. The slides were 6-18" thick and broke 40-100' wide. They released near exposed ridgelines, and both slides broke wider than your "run of the mill" wind slab due to a weak layer of facets buried directly beneath the fresh wind-transported snow.
Why does the current crop of wind slabs still deserve respect:
- The fresh slabs are perched above variable snow surfaces, including potential weak layers (facets, crusts, surface hoar) that formed during our extended January dry spell on some aspects and elevations. Slides could break above you and be wider than anticipated, and the weak layers are slowing the stabilization process.
- Today's expected moderate to strong winds may continue sifting snow onto existing drifts and slabs.
While these wind slab avalanches probably won't bury you, they're too big to tangle with. They could easily take you for a ride, pile you into trees, or wash you into a terrain trap. The possibility of wind slabs breaking above you or wider than expected makes them difficult to manage.
How should we travel today? The simple elegant solution is to steer clear of this tricky problem. Watch for drifting and changes in the surface snow texture. The variable NW-N-NE winds may have formed slabs in unusual locations. If the snow surface gets stiff and supportable or you see cracks shooting out from your boards or skis, stick to gentle terrain.
(1/22/2022) North winds following Thursday's 8-10" of new snow created sensitive wind slabs. These are failing on weak snow surfaces that formed during the ongoing dry spell. This natural wind slab avalanche released Friday or Saturday south of Copper Mountain.
