Rieserferner Mountains

The conditions are sometimes precarious for backcountry touring and other off-piste activities outside marked and open pistes.

The conditions are sometimes precarious for backcountry touring and other off-piste activities outside marked and open pistes.

The new snow and wind slabs of the last few days are to be evaluated with care and prudence. Avalanches can over a wide area be released, even by a single winter sport participant and reach large size in isolated cases. The avalanche prone locations are to be found in particular on wind-protected west, north and east facing slopes at high altitudes and in high Alpine regions, also on very steep shady slopes in areas close to the tree line. Remotely triggered avalanches are possible in isolated cases. In regions neighbouring those that are subject to danger level 2 (moderate) the avalanche prone locations are more rare and the danger is lower. In the regions with a lot of snow more gliding avalanches and moist snow slides are to be expected, even medium-sized ones. On extremely steep sunny slopes loose snow avalanches are possible as a consequence of solar radiation. Backcountry touring and other off-piste activities call for extensive experience in the assessment of avalanche danger and restraint.

The fresh snow of the last few days and the wind slabs formed by the strong northwesterly wind are lying on top of a weakly bonded old snowpack on wind-protected west, north and east facing slopes. In some cases the various wind slabs have bonded poorly with each other and the old snowpack. As a consequence of a sometimes strong northwesterly wind, further wind slabs will form on Saturday. The old snowpack will be weakly bonded on the Main Alpine Ridge and to the north, especially on wind-protected shady slopes. Whumpfing sounds and the formation of shooting cracks when stepping on the snowpack serve as an alarm indicating the danger. Stability tests and field observations confirm this situation.

The snowpack remains prone to triggering on the Main Alpine Ridge and to the north. In the evening as a consequence of the snowfall there will be an increase in the avalanche danger.