Wind Slabs
- Alpin
- Limite forestière
- Sous la limite forestière
- Probabilité
- Possible
- Taille
- 2
The southerly winds continue to blow across the upper elevations at speeds of 15-25 mph and now have some new snow to blow around. Shallow drifts of windblown snow will be the biggest concern for today. These shallow drifts will be most pronounced just off the ridgelines and on steep slopes that face northwest, north, and northeast. Look for and avoid slopes that are being loaded by the wind.
Use smaller test slopes (any slope that's not big enough to bury you) to see how the new snow is behaving before committing to the gut of steep avalanche terrain. The new snow is dense and should bond well to the underlying surfaces; however, some slopes have ice crusts, and the new snow may easily slide fast and far in steep, sustained terrain.
- Wind drifted snow is often smooth, rounded, and chalky looking, and harder drifts may sound hollow like a drum.
- Watch for and avoid fresh drifts on the lee side of major ridgelines and around terrain features like cliff bands, scoops, gully walls, and sub-ridges.
- Avoid ridge top cornices, which can break much further back than expected and could start avalanches on slopes below.