Wind slab, Big Baldy 2-18-06  

A party of backcountry skiers unintentionally triggered this small wind slab on a steep upper elevation north facing slope on Big Baldy.

The drift formed right on top of sugary or faceted snow.  The avalanche is about 6 inches deep and 30' wide.  This one didn't run very far, but it shows that more substantial avalanches are possible in exposed terrain.  More wind and/or snowfall today could cause a more widespread problem.