Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1
People might trigger small avalanches of wind-drifted snow where wind slabs formed by redeposition on preexisting weak surface snow consisting of near-surface facets or surface hoar in exposed upper-elevation terrain.
- Avoid and stay out from under stiffer pockets of recently drifted snow on steep slopes. (wind slab avalanches might be triggered remotely)
- Wind slabs may have formed or have been cross-loaded in and around terrain features like mid-slope roll-overs, gullies, under cliff bands, or sub-ridges.
- Suspect wind slabs are often chalky, rounded, and smooth, and they can sound hollow, like a drum. Shooting cracks and whumpfs obviously indicate instability.
- Small loose avalanches of sugary, faceted snow are possible on very steep slopes.
A layer of surface hoar and small near-surface facets is now capped, buried shallowly, and preserved by fresh snow; this will likely become a problematic, persistent weak layer. Drifts of new snow forming on this layer of preexisting weak surface snow are likely to be sensitive to human triggering.