Border Pennine Alps

The current avalanche situation calls for experience in the assessment of avalanche danger and careful route selection.

The current avalanche situation calls for experience in the assessment of avalanche danger and careful route selection.

As a consequence of the strong westerly wind, fresh snow drift accumulations formed during the last two days. These can be released by a single winter sport participant in all aspects above approximately 2000 m. The wind slabs have formed in particular adjacent to ridgelines and in gullies and bowls. Caution is to be exercised at transitions from a shallow to a deep snowpack. The avalanches can in isolated cases reach large size. The avalanche prone locations are sometimes covered with new snow and are difficult to recognise.

15 to 20 cm of snow has fallen since Wednesday above approximately 1800 m. The strong wind has transported a lot of snow. In particular at elevated altitudes snow depths vary greatly, depending on the infuence of the wind. In some cases the wind slabs have bonded still only poorly with each other and the old snowpack. Individual weak layers exist in the snowpack on wind-loaded slopes.