Mt Hood

Problemi valanghivi

• 

  Wind Slabs

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Alta quota
  • Limite del bosco
  • Sotto il limite del bosco

  Probabilità

  Likely

  Dimensione

  1.5–2.5

  Decreasing wind speeds will help wind slabs become more stubborn on Tuesday. But don’t take this as a green light, as these slabs will be large enough to kill you in specific wind-loaded terrain above 6000 ft. These wind drifted pockets will range from soft to hard depending on your elevation and exposure to the wind. Down in the middle and lower elevations, these slabs will be softer and may fail 1-2 ft deep. But above 6500 ft, slab depths may be several feet thick and propagate widely. 

  You’ll commonly find these wind slabs on the down-wind side of ridges & canyons, below cornices, and scattered through the alpine. There won’t be much for blowing snow on Tuesday, so look for surface clues to help you identify where the wind has drifted snow. Ripples, dunes, and pillow-like slabs are all signs that the wind has been at work. 

  While using small test slopes may be helpful at middle and lower elevations, they may not be representative of the thicker, denser drifted areas that you’ll find above 6500 ft. In these upper elevations, just consider steering around features that appear loaded. You can seek out scoured terrain or use ridgelines to reduce your exposure.

  Shooting cracks, hollow-sounding snow, and collapsing are obvious signs of instability that you should not ignore.