Wind Slabs
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Possible
- Dimensione
- 1
New snow along with moderate to strong winds Wednesday night and Thursday morning will build fresh wind slabs on lee slopes above treeline. Use caution around steep open slopes where you find freshly drifted snow. Visual clues like blowing snow along ridgelines and spindrifts below steep cliffs can tip you off regarding which slopes are most suspect. You can test the bond of the new snow to the old snow surface (likely a crust) on small test slopes before entering more consequential terrain.
It's spring-time so any amount of sunshine following new snow means rollerballs and small wet loose avalanches will run on very steep sunny slopes. If the storm drops more snow than forecast, keep wet loose avalanches on your mind. Switch to lower angle terrain or shadier slopes if find yourself sinking in more than ankle deep into wet snow.
Example from earlier this winter: Small wind slab in the Wenatchee Mountains.