Wind Slabs
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Likely
- Dimensione
- 1–2
Wind slab avalanches continued to be reactive yesterday. Gale force SW winds with gusts over 100mph overnight along with 2 to 8'' of light new snow have built out additional wind slabs on NW-N-NE-E-SE aspects. Winds are forecasted to switch to the NW and eventually to the NE later today and remain strong enough to continue to transport snow. Wind slabs could occur on any aspect in near and above treeline areas. Where these wind slabs form on top of recently buried surface hoar, these avalanches could be wider and run longer distances than our typical wind slab avalanches.
Look for recent avalanche activity, blowing snow, cornices, wind pillows, and snow surface clues as to where these wind slabs have formed. Natural wind slab avalanches are not out of the question today. Avoid terrain below steep wind loaded slopes and cornices. Long shooting cracks, whumpfing sounds, recent avalanches with wide propagation, or any sort of remote triggering would indicate that the buried surface hoar is present and reactive.
(1/18/2023)
D2 skier triggered wind slab avalanche. 1 to 1.5' deep. Cindercone, Ward Canyon area.