Wind Slabs
- Alpin
- Limite forestière
- Sous la limite forestière
- Probabilité
- Possible
- Taille
- 1–2.5
Wind slabs are more prevalent in the Marmot/Maligne areas than the icefields, as they received more recent snowfall and wind.
As Spring finally re-asserts itself, expect to see increasing activity with daytime warming. Meanwhile, incremental loading by small snowfalls has maintained winter-like avalanche problems on shaded slopes.
Wind slabs are more prevalent in the Marmot/Maligne areas than the icefields, as they received more recent snowfall and wind.
Weak mid-pack facets, in isolated pockets on shaded, wind-sheltered alpine slopes. May also exist on shaded upper treeline features; and on solar aspects there is a (smaller) possibility of these failing on facets over a buried crust down 15-40cm.
Springs' increasing influence is encouraging the upper snowpack to shed recent snowfall, in loose snow avalanches. Snowballing or sticky snow are indicators of this problem.
Wednesday: A mix of sun and cloud. Treeline: High 4 °C. Ridge wind NE: 10-20 km/h. Freezing level: 2500m
Thursday: A mix of sun and cloud. Treeline temperature: Low 0 °C, High 9 °C. Ridge wind NW: 10-30 km/h. Freezing level: 3000m
Friday: A mix of sun and cloud. Treeline temperature: Low 4 °C, High 11 °C. Freezing level: 3300m
Regular small, warm snowfalls have sustained Windslab and loose snow avalanche problems. This recent snow is settling rapidly, but overlies crusts and facets in the upper snowpack. The crusts are thick/strong on solar aspects. Occasional whumpfing at upper treeline & alpine. The snowpack remains faceted on shady aspects, and weak in shallow areas.
On Sunday, a large natural slab avalanche was observed at 2400m on a NE aspect. This was on Pyramid mountain near Jasper, and was most likely a recent Wind Slab (size 2.5). Numerous small (size 1), natural loose dry avalanches were also observed on steep shaded alpine terrain near Marmot Basin.