Wind Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Unlikely - Possible
- Size
- 1–1.5
Moderate wind has developed isolated wind slabs over various hard surfaces of wind-pressed snow and/or a crust. Be careful with wind loaded pockets in steep terrain.
Soft snow can be found in terrain sheltered from the wind.
Use caution in thin-to-thick snowpack areas in the alpine where persistent slabs may be easier to trigger.
Moderate wind has developed isolated wind slabs over various hard surfaces of wind-pressed snow and/or a crust. Be careful with wind loaded pockets in steep terrain.
A faceted lower snowpack presents a persistent slab problem. This basal layer may be triggered by cornice fall or the weight of a rider in shallow snowpack areas or on steep features where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
No new avalanches have been reported.
Roughly 10 to 15 cm of snow has incrementally accumulated and redistributed by moderate wind building small wind slabs over various old surfaces.
In the alpine, a buried surface hoar layer may remain intact on sheltered northerly terrain and hard wind-pressed surfaces, wind slab, and sastrugi exist on exposed slopes. A breakable melt-freeze crust can be found from 1200 to 1500 m on all aspects but north.
The lower snowpack is faceted and generally weak, particularly in shallow areas.
Wednesday Night
Cloudy. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Saturday
Sunny. 30 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.