Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Likely
- Size
- 1–2
New snow and wind are forming fresh wind slabs which are not expected to bond well to old surfaces.
Avalanche forecast
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Jan 4 – 5, 2025Avalanche Canada
Archived · expired 2 years ago
Avalanche danger
Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Highlights
Avalanche danger will increase on Saturday as new snow and wind build fresh, reactive wind slabs.
Avalanche problems
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
On Friday, natural as well as skier- and explosive-triggered wind slabs were reported size 1-2. They were in immediate lees of ridgetop on west to southwest aspects at alpine and treeline elevations.
Snowpack Summary
New snow falls with wind over generally soft, faceted and/or moderately wind-affected surfaces.
A right-side-up upper snowpack appears to be bonding well to a crust buried 70 to 100 cm deep. The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled and bonded with no deeper concerns.
Weather Summary
Friday night
Cloudy with around 5 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. South ridgetop wind increasing 20 to 60 km/h. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Sunday
10 to 20 cm of snow overnight then clearing. Northwest ridgetop wind easing 40 to 10 km/h. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
Monday
Sunny. 10 to 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
- Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
- Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
- The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.