Werdenfels Alps

Caution: fresh snowdrifts at high altitude.

Caution: fresh snowdrifts at high altitude.

Avalanche danger is moderate. Main problem: wet snow. Wet glide snow avalanches can trigger naturally on very steep slopes with smooth ground, such as grass-covered slopes or sparsely wooded forest zones. Avoid zones below glide cracks. In addition, wet loose snow avalanches can trigger naturally in extremely steep intermediate altitude terrain wherever there is still enough snow. Wet avalanches can reach medium size. Apart from that, fresh snowdrifts accumulate at higher altitudes which can partly be triggered as slab avalanches even by low additional loading such as by a single skier. Avalanche prone locations occur in steep east-facing ridgeline terrain as well as in wind-loaded gullies and bowls. Slab avalanches rare mostly small so that the danger of being swept away outweighs that of being buried.

Up to high altitudes the old snowpack is isothermal and wet at the ground. At intermediate altitude partly persistent rainfall until the second half of the night. Water ingress results in a loss of bonding and increases gliding snow activity. Fresh snowdrift accumulations mostly bond well with the old snowpack surface. Intermediate layers that are prone to triggering can be embedded in the fresh snowdrifts. Especially on the south side rainfall and small quantities of new snow up in to high intermediate altitudes are deposited on the bare ground.

Danger of wet avalanches recedes slowly.