Wind Slabs
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Possible
- Dimensione
- 1–1.5
0.7 inches of snow yesterday and increasing north winds today have the potential to create new thin wind slabs in eastern and southern terrain. On lee aspects, be mindful of wind-sheltered terrain features like under rock buttresses or in narrow gullies as in these areas you are more likely to find soft and sensitive wind drifted snow that has an increased potential for small, human triggered avalanches.
The new wind drifted snow may struggle to bond to a hard, slick surface and the cold temperatures forecast today will not easily promote bonding. This melt-freeze crust may act as an effective bed surface for small human triggered avalanches today. Identifying today’s avalanche problem will be easy as the new snow will be bright white and in contrast with the gray, textured, and icy surface. Traveling on the firm surface will avoid these avalanche hazards.
Additional snow and increasing winds today may add to the size, distribution, and sensitivity of these wind slabs. Lookout for blowing snow at ridgelines and shooting cracks as signs of increasing avalanche hazard. Digging down to where the new snow and old snow meet and using hand shears to understand the sensitivity will be helpful in evaluating terrain today.