Vicentine Prealps

Wind slabs represent the main danger.

Wind slabs represent the main danger.

The fresh wind slabs are clearly recognisable to the trained eye. They can be released easily by a single winter sport participant in all aspects above the tree line. Mostly the avalanches are small. The avalanche prone locations are to be found in particular in gullies and bowls, and behind abrupt changes in the terrain and adjacent to ridgelines and in pass areas. At elevated altitudes the avalanche danger is a little higher. In some cases the avalanches in these loacations are medium-sized. Apart from the danger of being buried, restraint should be exercised as well in view of the danger of avalanches sweeping people along and giving rise to falls.

In some cases the various wind slabs have bonded poorly with each other and the old snowpack. Over a wide area various wind slab layers are lying on soft layers. As a consequence of the sometimes storm force wind these have increased in size additionally. The snowpack will be generally subject to considerable local variations. From a snow sport perspective, in most cases insufficient snow is lying.

The wind slabs represent the main danger.