Západné Tatry

Watch out for wind-slabs and pillows.

Watch out for wind-slabs and pillows.

In all our mountains above 1300 m above sea level, a second avalanche level is declared. Particularly dangerous are positions above the upper forest boundary, narrow couloirs and slopes under rock walls. Particular caution should be exercised on (SE and E orientations). Here, due to the influence of the north-west wind, hard wind-beaten slabs are found, and their loosening is possible especially on steep slopes above 40° with only a small additional load. At lower altitudes below 1300 it has mainly rained or snowed wet in recent days, so the situation is more stable here.

At the highest altitudes, the snow cover is very unevenly distributed due to the wind. Especially on the leeward sides there are wind-beaten slabs. Elsewhere, the surface is hard and load-bearing. At lower altitudes, after overnight frosts, a weak crust has formed on the surface under which the snow cover will break through to the hard ground. As the weather cools, the snow surface will become increasingly dry and therefore more susceptible to wind transport.

With cooling and winds rising slightly Compiled by: Pavel Bet'ko