Wind Slabs
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Possible
- Dimensione
- 1–1.5
An inch or slightly more of new snow today combines with a few inches of snow already on the ground to provide snow available for wind transport today. This limited snow available for today’s moderate northeast and east wind should keep size of new wind slabs small. Remember that while unlikely to bury you except in pronounced terrain traps, small avalanches can easily take you for a ride towards rocks, cliffs, trees, or other obstacles that might be down slope. Similarly, small wind slabs formed this weekend under westerly winds, and while reverse wind direction should scour this terrain today, a few now stubborn wind slabs might remain. You can identify wind slabs today by watching for signs of active wind loading. Know that any new snow thicker than approximately 6” above the prominent crust is probably wind slab.
(3/7/2022)
Wind affected snow, 3/7/22, Gold Hill ridgeline. Look closely at the bowl in the background and you'll find a small crown and avalanche debris from avalanches last week.
Photo: Ryan Matz