Wind Slabs
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Possible
- Dimensione
- 1–1.5
After a long, dry hiatus, winter is finally making a return. Over the next 24 hours, a light storm will deliver a few inches of snow accompanied by strong westerly winds to slopes above 7,000 feet. While not particularly intense, this system is enough to warrant renewed attention to the snowpack, weather, terrain, and yourself for safe and enjoyable recreation.
The greatest concern for wind slab avalanches will develop later in the forecast period on leeward slopes above treeline. Terrain features that promote drifting—such as ridgelines, rock outcrops, and rollovers—deserve cautious travel and active snow assessment. Signs of wind loading include blowing snow, fresh wind lips, and shooting cracks. With relatively low snow totals, drift sizes are expected to remain small (D1.5).
A warm-to-cold storm trend should promote bonding between new and old snow, but existing bed surfaces are less than ideal. Hard, wind-hammered snow dominates the alpine, while a mix of melt/freeze crusts and weak, faceted snow is present across much of near and below treeline terrain. This initial snowfall is unlikely to produce significant instabilities. However, with larger storms on the horizon and uncertainty on how these weak bed surfaces may behave, it will be paramount to not get complacent, manage powder fever, and keep your avalanche awareness sharp.