Avalanche forecast

Fresh snow and snowdrifts often prone to triggering with ascending altitude

Fresh snow and snowdrifts often prone to triggering with ascending altitude

Above 2000 m avalanche danger is considerable, below that altitude danger is moderate. Fresh snow and drifts are increasingly prone to triggering with ascending altitude, avalanches can be triggered even by one sole skier and grow to medium size. Frequency and size of avalanche prone locations increase with ascending altitude, particularly in ridge zones in all aspects, on very steep high-altitude slopes and in high alpine regions. Activities in outlying terrain require experience in assessing avalanche risks on-site. Due to solar radiation and daytime warming, moist loose-snow avalanches can be expected particularly on steep sunny slopes. Isolated glide-snow avalanches are also possible on steep grassy slopes. Caution is urged below glide cracks.

The fresh snow and drifts from the weekend were able to settle somewhat and consolidate. With ascending altitude this process still continues, it will take longer on shady slopes in particular. Bonding to the old snowpack is adequate to good, with ascending altitude and in ridgeline terrain it is still poor. Small-to-medium avalanches can trigger inside the fresh snow and drifts, particularly in high alpine regions. On sunny slopes at intermediate altitudes the fresh snow was deposited on bare ground, it is becoming moist from below, which can reinforce the gliding movement of the entire snowpack.

Monday will be very sunny, beginning very cold but getting warmer as the day progresses. At 2000 m: -10 to -5 degrees. Light to moderate westerly winds.

The next few days will be variably cloudy. The danger of dry-snow avalanches will continue to diminish. As temperatures rise the danger of wet-snow avalanches will increase.