Werdenfels Alps

Snowdrifts at high altitude prone to triggering

Snowdrifts at high altitude prone to triggering

Avalanche danger above 2000m is considerable; below that altitude it is moderate. The main problem are snowdrifts which can be triggered as slab avalanches by low additional loading such as by a single skier. Avalanche prone locations are found in steep ridgeline terrain in NE-S-SE aspects as well as in gullies and bowls. Size and frequency of avalanche prone locations increase with ascending altitude. Avalanches can grow to medium size. In addition, in steep terrain the new snow can release spontaneously as loose snow avalanches. Therefore, exercise caution below rock faces.Isolated glide snow avalanches can glide over the ground on steep smooth grass-covered slopes that have not yet discharged.

In some places, larger quantities of new snow are deposited due to showery snowfall. At higher altitudes, bonding of new and old snow is not ideal; locally, graupel or layers with faceted crystals are embedded. From time to time the snowfall is accompanied by gusty northwesterly winds; in leeward zones snowdrift accumulations are growing. At high altitudes, locally weak intermediate layers are embedded in the uppermost part of the old snowpack, in particular in the area of older snowdrift masses. At intermediate altitudes the snowpack is wet down to the ground. There is still a possibility of gliding movements over wet ground.

By the weekend, temperatures will increase considerably, and as a consequence the probability of spontaneous avalanche releases can rise again.