Wind Slabs
- Alpin
- Limite forestière
- Sous la limite forestière
- Probabilité
- Possible
- Taille
- 1–2
South West winds in the 40 mph range will load any new snow that falls onto leeward slopes, creating wind slabs. Wind drifted snow in the alpine and below ridgelines are common areas to find the wind slab problem. Snow fall amounts during daylight hours will be modest, with 3–5 inches forecasted by 8pm and an additional 12in overnight into Monday. Forecasted snowfall totals are expected to be higher in the Northern half of the advisory area. A rule of thumb: wind transported snow can deposit snow 3x faster than snowfall alone. It will be possible to find wind slabs over a foot thick today. Freezing levels are forecasted around 7,000 ft . As a result, much of our Below Tree Line terrain will see minimal accumulation.
Watch for cracking or whumping under your skis or sled, as this indicates an unstable wind slab. Other visual clues include: seeing blowing snow and the appearance of rounded pillow like wind drifts. Moving to low angle terrain is a sure fire way to remove yourself from any uncertainty you may have.
After a few days of hard refreezes, the snow surface has been icy and firm at higher elevations. New snow will not bond well to the existing snow pack and with strong winds transporting new snow you can expect to find a check board of icy surfaces and wind slabs as you move through terrain. Be mindful of changing conditions, loosing an edge or getting your sled into steep icy terrain. As, this presents its own non avalanche related dangers.