Valsavaranche

Backcountry touring and other off-piste activities call for experience and restraint.

Backcountry touring and other off-piste activities call for experience and restraint.

In all aspects large surface-area wind slabs formed. They can especially at their margins be released by a single winter sport participant and reach medium size. Additionally avalanches can also be released in near-ground layers and reach quite a large size. The avalanche prone locations are to be found in particular on very steep northeast, east and southeast facing slopes, in particular at transitions from a shallow to a deep snowpack. Whumpfing sounds serve as an alarm indicating the danger. Medium-sized and, in isolated cases, large natural dry avalanches are possible as a consequence of the northerly wind.

The northwesterly wind has transported the fresh and old snow significantly. As a consequence of a strong wind, hard wind slabs formed in some places. These are in some cases still prone to triggering in particular on very steep northeast, southeast and south facing slopes. In particular at high altitude snow depths vary greatly, depending on the infuence of the wind. Faceted weak layers exist in the bottom section of the snowpack at intermediate and high altitudes. In all aspects below approximately 2400 m less snow than usual is lying.

The avalanche danger will persist. The wind will be strong over a wide area.