Avoid exposing yourself to slopes that are getting affected by the springtime sun. The danger rating reflects conditions during the warm part of the day.
Lawinenprobleme
Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Hochgebirge
Waldgrenze
Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
Wahrscheinlichkeit
Possible
Größe
1–4
Wind slabs may be found behind terrain breaks like ridges and ribs. Large cornices may be fragile - give these a respectful berth.
Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Hochgebirge
Waldgrenze
Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
Wahrscheinlichkeit
Unlikely - Possible
Größe
3–6
Buried persistent weak layers may still be reactive to human-triggering. Most likely triggers include a person or machine on a thin snowpack spot, or a cornice fall.
Loose Wet
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Hochgebirge
Waldgrenze
Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
Wahrscheinlichkeit
Likely
Größe
1–3
Sun. Spring. New snow. The kiss of the sun is likely to spark a round of avalanche activity.
Avalanche Summary
On Friday, sun triggered a few size 2 avalanches in steep terrain. A skier was partially buried in a size 2.5 wind slab on a north aspect at 2600 m on Thursday. Some naturally-triggered wind slabs and cornice falls were also reported. On Wednesday, a naturally-triggered size 2.5 wind slab was observed on a NE aspect at 2500 m. An ice fall also triggered a size 3 deep persistent slab which failed at ground.
Confidence
Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Sunday
Weather Forecast
Light snow fall is expected on Sunday, with sunny spells. This peters to flurries on Monday. On Tuesday, a ridge moves in, starting a few days of fine, sunny weather. The freezing level is around 1600 m by day, falling towards valley floor by night. Winds are generally light.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 20 cm dry snow may be hiding previously formed wind slabs on slopes lee to the NW. These overlie a crust which varies in thickness with elevation. Sun may destabilise new snow and cornices. Below about 2000 m, loose moist snow makes up much of the snowpack underneath a surface crust. Persistent weak layers in the upper snowpack remain a lingering concern. The mid-March crust/facet layer is down around 60 cm. Down around 80 cm is the mid-February crust/facet/surface hoar layer. Both of these layers are slowly improving in strength, although it may still be possible to trigger one of these, causing a very large avalanche.