Wind Slabs
- Alpin
- Limite forestière
- Sous la limite forestière
- Probabilité
- Likely
- Taille
- 1–2.5
Strong winds continued yesterday and are expected to decrease slightly today to averages of 15 to 25 mph from the NW. While most soft snow on the surface has likely already been blown into wind slabs, it is still possible for fresh wind slabs up to 1' deep to form today. Larger lingering wind slabs up to 2+' deep from the past few days will also be possible for a person to trigger today.
Due to the strong winds, snow can be transported lower on the slope than typical and form wind slabs in uncommon locations. Keep an eye out for shooting cracks, hollow feeling pillows of snow, and active wind transport to identify areas with wind slabs. Using small test slopes is a great way to check how reactive wind slabs are to the weight of a skier or rider.
Cornices are growing from the fresh wind transport and may be ready to fail. Try to give cornices a wide berth when traveling along ridgelines and avoid traveling underneath cornices that are being actively loaded by wind transport.
(1/30/2025)
Wind blowing snow long distances. This will create wind slabs at lower elevations, further down from the ridge.
Photo: Daniel Krueger