Lower Tauern South

Restraint imperative above the treeline in backcountry

On Friday, general sunshine. Winds wil be light to moderate. At 2000 m: -1 degree; at 3000 m: -7 degrees. On Friday night, minor snowfall is anticipated. On Saturday the clouds will soon disperse due to winds, sunshine will be the result. At intermediate altitudes, brisk NW winds, often stormy at summit altitudes. At 2000 m: -9 degrees; at 3000 m: -14 degrees.

Avalanche danger will continue to recede.

Restraint imperative above the treeline in backcountry

Danger is still CONSIDERABLE (3). Above the treeline the danger stems from new snow and snowdrifts. Below the treeline and on sunny slopes the danger stems from rising temperatures. All enterprises in backcountry require caution and restraint. In outlying terrain are numerous spots where a slab can be triggered, particularly with ascending altitude. Avalanches can grow to medium-to-large size. Most treacherous: steep ridgeline terrain in N/E/S aspects and behind protruberances distant from ridgelines above 2000 m. The impulse of one single persons is sufficient. Due to sunshine and warmth, glide-snow avalanches can release naturally in very steep grassy terrain. In the regions where snowfall has been heaviest they can grow to medium-to-large size. In steep rocky terrain, moist loose-snow avalanches (small-to-medium) can release.

Numerous reports and far-reaching helicopter flights have confirmed Danger Level 4 of the last 2 days. Depending on the massif, numerous to many large-to-very-large sized releases on Wednesday and Wednesday night occurred, most in extended east-facing terrain, most near ridges and all of them slabs. Explosions were highly successful, with above average results. West-facing slopes over generally windblown. Due to warmth and initial settling of the new snow (60-120 cm) the proneness to triggering and naturally triggering tendencies of dry slabs have decreased somewhat. Fracture spots of triggered avalanches were in the new snow itself or at the borders to the old snowpack (embedded faceted weak layers). At low altitudes and on sunny slopes at intermediate altitude, the settling will create huge gliding snow movements.