Rhemes Valley

The current avalanche situation calls for great caution and restraint.

The current avalanche situation calls for great caution and restraint.

The new snow and wind slabs of the last few days are poorly bonded with the old snowpack in many places. The sometimes deep wind slabs can be released easily, even by a single winter sport participant, in all aspects above approximately 2000 m. Remotely triggered avalanches are to be expected. Places where weaknesses exist in the old snowpack are especially dangerous. These places are barely recognisable, even to the trained eye. Here the avalanches can be released in the weakly bonded old snow and reach large size. Whumpfing sounds and the formation of shooting cracks when stepping on the snowpack are a clear indication of a weakly bonded snowpack. Caution is to be exercised in particular on very steep northeast, north and northwest facing slopes at the base of rock walls and behind abrupt changes in the terrain.

40 to 70 cm of snow has fallen since Thursday above approximately 1800 m. Several medium-sized and, in isolated cases, large avalanches were reported. The northwesterly wind has transported the new snow significantly. The fresh wind slabs are lying on top of a weakly bonded old snowpack especially on east to north to northwest facing aspects above approximately 2200 m. In particular at higher altitudes snow depths vary greatly, depending on the infuence of the wind. On the windward slopes, ridges, hills and crests are heavily eroded.

The avalanche activity will slowly decrease.