Wind Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Likely
- Size
- 2
Slabs of wind-drifted snow may be tricky to identify today because winds have blown from various directions during the last few days. They blew from the East/Northeast Friday morning. They blew westerly yesterday, and were blowing northerly this morning. Today they may shift back to the East some today.
Mostly these wind slabs have been unreactive. Being stubborn and dense in places, these wind slabs may not fracture until you ride onto the middle of them. The best strategy is to seek terrain that is sheltered from winds of any direction.
Be especially watchful for slopes that do not normally have wind slabs. The snow surface weakened in places during recent cold weather. Sheltered slopes are prime locations for this weakening to happen, but if winds during the last several days drifted snow onto these slopes, the wind slabs could be very sensitive because they are resting on small, weak, faceted snow crystals.