Západné Tatry

Beware of wind-blown snow in the form of snow pillows and slabs!

Beware of wind-blown snow in the form of snow pillows and slabs!

From 1600 m.n.m in the High, Western and Low Tatras persists 2nd degree of avalanche danger. New snow is transported by strong winds on layers of older snow, with which it is not sufficiently bound. Dangerous pillows and slabs are formed, especially on the leeward sides of ridges under rock walls and in narrow couloirs. Their release is particularly possible with high additional loads on steep to very steep slopes (more than 35°). The avalanche danger increases with altitude. At altitudes above 1600 m there is more snow and therefore medium-sized avalanches can occur.

During the last snowfall, 10-25 cm fell on the mountains. In total, the snow depth reaches up to 50 cm in places. As it is only the beginning of the season, there are mostly only 2 layers of snow in the snow cover, but they are not well interconnected. The new snow is unevenly distributed due to strong winds and deposited in terrain depressions and on the leeward sides of ridges. A continuous layer of snow cover can be found from about 1500 m above sea level.

During the day, the avalanche situation will worsen due to strong winds and expected snowfall.