Border Pennine Alps

The wind slabs of the weekend must be evaluated with care and prudence.

The wind slabs of the weekend must be evaluated with care and prudence.

Wind slabs can be released by a single winter sport participant and reach medium size. This applies in particular adjacent to ridgelines and in gullies and bowls at high altitudes and in high Alpine regions. Additionally in some places avalanches can be triggered in the old snowpack and reach large size in isolated cases. The current avalanche situation calls for careful route selection. As the temperature drops there will be a decrease in the danger of moist and wet avalanches.

As a consequence of a strong northeasterly wind, sometimes deep wind slabs formed on Saturday adjacent to ridgelines and in gullies and bowls as well as in high Alpine regions. The spring-like weather conditions gave rise to gradual consolidation of the snowpack in particular on sunny slopes below approximately 2500 m, also on shady slopes below approximately 2100 m. The surface of the snowpack has frozen to form a strong crust and will soften later than the day before.