Ortler Range

Weak layers in the old snowpack are treacherous.

Weak layers in the old snowpack are treacherous.

Avalanches can be released in the weakly bonded old snow by small loads. Caution is to be exercised at transitions from a shallow to a deep snowpack. The avalanche prone locations are to be found in areas close to the tree line and above the tree line. Remotely triggered avalanches are possible in isolated cases. In addition the sometimes avalanche prone wind slabs should be taken into account. Such avalanche prone locations are to be found in particular in steep terrain at elevated altitudes and adjacent to ridgelines and in pass areas. Meticulous route selection is recommended.

Towards its base, the snowpack is faceted and weak, especially on shady slopes. Whumpfing sounds and field observations indicate poor snowpack stability. In some cases the various wind slabs have bonded still only poorly with each other and the old snowpack. As a consequence of mild temperatures and solar radiation the snow drift accumulations stabilised during the last few days.

The snowpack remains in some cases prone to triggering.