Wind Slabs
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Likely
- Dimensione
- 2
For the past 24 hours, the west-northwest winds have been blowing steady at 10-25 mph across the mid and upper elevations. Wind and plenty of new snow to blow around have created sensitive slabs of wind-drifted snow. These wind slabs could be anywhere from 1-2 feet deep and 150 feet wide, as seen from the avalanche in Bunnells yesterday. These wind drifts have been isolated recently, but with steady wind speeds from the west-northwest, I expect these drifts to be deeper and more widespread today.
Look for and avoid slopes that are actively being loaded by the wind. Thick, dense snow, chalky hard snow, wavy textured snow, and cracking or collapsing are all signs of wind-drifting or unstable snow, and these clues should be a warning sign to the backcountry traveler. New snow instabilities could include shallow soft slabs within the new snow 6-12 inches deep. However, this instability should settle rapidly this morning as the peak precipitation intensity (heavy snowfall) is about over. Use small test slopes or shovel tilt tests to see how the new snow reacts before committing to steeper, more consequential terrain. Watch for dry-loose avalanches (sluffs) as you ride.