Border Pennine Alps

The fresh snow and the often large wind slabs represent the main danger. The current avalanche situation calls for experience in the assessment of avalanche danger and careful route selection.

The fresh snow and the often large wind slabs represent the main danger. The current avalanche situation calls for experience in the assessment of avalanche danger and careful route selection.

The fresh and somewhat older wind slabs can be released by a single winter sport participant at intermediate altitudes. They are to be found in gullies and bowls, and behind abrupt changes in the terrain, this also applies at a distance from ridgelines. Whumpfing sounds and the formation of shooting cracks when stepping on the snowpack and natural avalanches serve as an alarm sign. As the moisture increases dry and moist avalanches are possible, but they can be large. The avalanche danger is within the uppermost range of danger level 3 (considerable). The avalanche prone locations are barely recognisable because of the poor visibility. Maintaining distances between individuals and one-at-a-time descents are recommended.

50 to 100 cm of snow, and even more in some localities, fell in the last four days above approximately 1800 m. Over a wide area new snow and wind slabs are lying on a hard crust. The new snow is poorly bonded with the old snowpack in many places in particular on sunny slopes. As a consequence of sharply rising temperatures and rain up to approximately 2000 m the snowpack could not consolidate.

Down to 1300 m snow will fall. The weather report and anticipated change in the avalanche danger are uncertain.