Wind Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 2
Over the last two days, winds have remained strong enough to drift snow, with gusts near 80 mph at the highest of ridgelines. Today these drifts will be most widespread on north through east-facing slopes, especially at the highest most elevations. However, sustained high winds can deposit snow around terrain features on almost any aspect, called cross-loading. For this reason, I would expect to find sensitive slabs of wind drifted snow at all upper and mid-elevation slopes, especially along with terrain features such as ridgelines, sub ridges, and gullies.
While these winds don't have a ton of new snow to work with, such strong winds today will continue to form both soft and hard slab avalanches in upper elevation wind drifted terrain. As the winds continue to blow, these slabs will become more firm and cohesive. This can allow you to travel out farther onto the slope before it breaks, and can fail larger and wider than expected. Approach each new drift with caution.
Today continue to look for slopes with any signs of wind drifted snow, such as cracking, hollow noises, and pillow-shaped snow and avoiding those slopes.
Travel Advice: Avoid wind drifted terrain and avoid the problem, look for mid-elevation wind-sheltered terrain.
