Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1–2
You can trigger avalanches in the new and recently wind-drifted snow. Be especially careful anywhere you find more than about a foot of new or wind-drifted snow. You can trigger larger, more dangerous avalanches in spots where the wind has drifted the new snow into thicker, denser slabs. If you trigger an avalanche, it could step down to deeper buried weak layers, resulting in an inescapable slide. This is especially true on northerly-facing slopes at upper elevations where the two avalanche problems overlap.Stick to lower elevation wind-sheltered areas or spots that received less snow.