Wind Slab above Echo Lake

We found light snow and cold temps approaching Talking Mt via the ridge from Echo Summit. Trees were still holding a large amount of snow, but on the ridge and sunny slopes icicles were intermixed with the snow showing evidence of previous melting. Although sunny slopes held soft wintry snow there was a breakable melt freeze crust 6-10 inches below the surface powder. In windy and open spots along the ridge we encountered a signficant amount of touchy wind slab. The current wind is coming from the NE and was creating slab over the S side of the ridge. Slabs we encountered were limited to the ridge proper and perhaps twenty feet downslope. 

Photo 1: Cracking in front of ski tips.

Photo 2: Cracking and small wind slab slide on test slope. We found many opportunities to see wind slab moving on small test slopes along our approach. On bigger and more consequential terrain we were also able to avoid the wind slab by travelling well off of the ridge were we found soft unconsolidated snow. 

Photo 3: Sastrugi on ridge. This sastrugi was growing into the NE wind. 

Video: Showing very easy wind slab cracking in front of skis on the ridge.