Wind Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Likely
- Size
- 3
Recent trends in wind speed, direction, and duration from Windy Peak (10,662').
Pretty straight-forward... southerly winds have blown for several days and there's no shortage of snow to blow around and form drifts on the leeward side of ridges and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. Found mostly in the wind zone above treeline, plenty of fresh drifts formed in lower elevations as well. I bet if you were looking for a wind slab to trigger... you can find one and it's gonna break deeper than you'd expect. Here's where it gets tricky... drifts will be camouflaged by new snow, making them harder to detect. Today, you'll want to look for and avoid fat, rounded pieces of snow, especially if they sound of feel hollow like a drum. You know avoidance is the ticket, so be ready to pump the brakes on objectives if you're seeing shooting cracks out in front your your skis, board, or sled.