Werdenfels Alps

Reduce avalanche risks by starting and terminating tours early

Reduce avalanche risks by starting and terminating tours early

Avalanche danger increases during the course of the day from moderate to considerable. Main problem: wet snow, which can trigger in very steep terrain naturally as a loose-snow avalanche or be triggered by 1 skier. In morning esp. east-facing slopes, later also south and west-facing slopes are endangered, size of releases increasing during the daytime, reaching medium size in afternoon. In addition, gliding snow can be problematic. On very steep grass-covered slopes in all aspects, glide-snow avalanches can releases naturally, esp. where the slopes were bare of snow before the precipitation, medium sized releases possible. Glide cracks are signals of imminent danger. Snowdrift accumulations are an isolated problem, esp. in steep ridgeline terrain. Dry slab avalanches are mostly small.

The fresh snow which fell during the last week has settled, the thin melt-freeze crust forming on the surface on south-facing slopes melts quickly during the morning, beginning on east-facing slopes, then south and west-facing slopes, the snow becomes wet and forfeits its firmness. In summit and pass areas the snow is bonded by wind impact, can be prone to triggering. No marked weak layers are evident, making wide-ranging fracture propagation unlikely. The snowpack is wet down to the ground, reinforcing gliding movements over smooth ground.

In case of warm temperatures, wet-snow/gliding snow remains a problem.