New snow and westerly winds will begin forming small shallow wind slabs on easterly facing terrain near and above treeline. Watch for pockets of wind drifted snow and keep in mind triggering a small wind slab may push you around over shallow rocks and other early season hazards.
Wind is very effective at moving snow and will be drifting snow to easterly lee slopes near and above treeline. Wind slab formation is expected to be in isolated pockets of terrain that catch blowing snow. Look for visual clues such as a wavy surface texture, pillowy drifts, or chalky snow to get an indication of where wind slabs have formed.
Snow is on the ground with more on the way! On Thursday afternoon I measured about 10 cm (4") of snow at 7000 ft. At around 6000ft, there was about 4 cm (less than 2") of snow on the ground.
Wind drifted snow can be the saviour of early season conditions by filling in certain terrain features. It can also create slabs over weaker snow that can lead to wind slab avalanches. On Friday I am expecting any wind slab avalanches to be small and some lee terrain may provide the best early season riding conditions as a result of extra snow accumulation by wind blown snow.
Something to watch for throughout the season is when a stiffer slab of wind drifted snow is on top of softer and weaker snow......that is the basic setup for a slab avalanche problem.
The real problem right now is not ripping the bases off skis and snowboards or damaging snowmachines on shallow rocks and other obstacles.
Have fun with your riding endeavors. As always, remember to evaluate conditions and monitor how things are changing in real time.
