Border Pennine Alps

Fresh wind slabs at high altitude. Moist and wet avalanches are to be expected as a consequence of warming during the day and solar radiation.

Fresh wind slabs at high altitude. Moist and wet avalanches are to be expected as a consequence of warming during the day and solar radiation.

The large wind slabs can be released even by a single winter sport participant. This applies especially in gullies and bowls, and behind abrupt changes in the terrain in particular at high altitude at transitions from a shallow to a deep snowpack. Avalanches can in isolated cases penetrate deep layers and reach large size. In starting zones where no previous releases have taken place and on very steep sunny slopes medium-sized and large natural avalanches are possible as a consequence of warming during the day and solar radiation. This applies in particular at low and intermediate altitudes. The current avalanche situation calls for experience in the assessment of avalanche danger and caution.

The fresh snow of the weekend and the wind slabs to be found in particular at intermediate and high altitudes are poorly bonded with the old snowpack in some places. Faceted weak layers exist deeper in the old snowpack in particular on shady slopes. Sunshine and high temperatures will give rise from early morning to rapid moistening of the snowpack in particular at low and intermediate altitudes. On steep sunny slopes numerous medium-sized and, in isolated cases, large avalanches were observed.