Rhemes Valley

Wind slabs represent the main danger. Backcountry touring calls for experience in the assessment of avalanche danger and careful route selection.

Wind slabs represent the main danger. Backcountry touring calls for experience in the assessment of avalanche danger and careful route selection.

As a consequence of the strong northwesterly wind, the snow drift accumulations will increase in size on Saturday. The avalanche prone locations are to be found in places that are some distance from ridgelines and in gullies and bowls, and behind abrupt changes in the terrain. The fresh snow of the last few days and very particularly the wind slabs can be released easily, even by a single winter sport participant, at intermediate and high altitudes, caution is to be exercised on very steep slopes at transitions from a shallow to a deep snowpack. In some places avalanches can be released in the new snow and wind slab layers and reach large size, in particular along the border with France. As a consequence of new snow and wind more medium-sized and, in isolated cases, large natural avalanches are possible. Weak layers in the old snowpack can be released especially by large additional loads especially between approximately 2700 and 3000 m. The avalanche prone locations are sometimes covered with new snow and are barely recognisable. Whumpfing sounds are a clear indication.

30 to 50 cm of snow, and up to 60 cm in some localities, has fallen since Tuesday above approximately 2200 m, in particular along the border with France. Up to 2200 m rain has fallen. The westerly wind has transported the new snow significantly. These weather conditions gave rise to unfavourable bonding of the old snowpack in some places in particular along the border with France below approximately 2500 m. Reports filed by observers and artificially triggered avalanches have confirmed the unfavourable bonding of the snowpack in particular between approximately 2000 and 2800 m. The snowpack will be generally subject to considerable local variations. In all aspects snow depths vary greatly above approximately 2000 m, depending on the infuence of the wind.

The weather will be cold. The wind will be light to moderate. In some localities increase in avalanche danger as a consequence of solar radiation.