Werdenfels Alps

Snow cover tests help to assess the risk of avalanches.

Snow cover tests help to assess the risk of avalanches.

The avalanche danger is moderate above 1600 metres and low below that. The main problem is a persistent weak layer. Dry slab avalanches can be triggered in some places by a small additional load. Avalanche prone locations can be found at the transition from little to much snow, for example at the entrance to gullies and bowls. Slab avalanches can reach medium size, especially on snowy eastern and northern slopes.

The snow cover, snowpack is increasingly settling in mild temperatures. At higher altitudes, bonded snow lies on weak, built-up layers, often in the area of harsh crusts. The snowpack base here consists of faceted crystals. Up to medium elevations, the snow surface is dominated by breakable crust. On the sunny slopes, it is frozen hard in the morning and firns up during the daytime changes.

The persistent weak layer problem remains for the time being.