Border Graie Alps

New snow and wind slabs above the tree line.

New snow and wind slabs above the tree line.

The fresh snow of the last three days as well as the wind slabs are poorly bonded with the old snowpack in many places. In isolated cases the dry avalanches are large and can be released by a single winter sport participant, caution is to be exercised in gullies and bowls, and behind abrupt changes in the terrain, as well as adjacent to ridgelines and in pass areas above approximately 2200 m. Avalanches can be released in near-ground layers and reach quite a large size. This applies in particular in little used terrain. The current avalanche situation calls for careful route selection.

The fresh snow and the wind slabs are lying on a crust below approximately 2300 m. Faceted weak layers exist in the old snowpack in particular on shady slopes. Towards its base, the snowpack is faceted. In all aspects snow depths vary greatly at high altitudes and in high Alpine regions, depending on the infuence of the wind. Adjacent to ridgelines and in pass areas at elevated altitudes only a small amount of snow is lying for the time of year.