Border Pennine Alps

Caution is to be exercised on steep north, east and southeast facing slopes in particular in high Alpine regions.

Caution is to be exercised on steep north, east and southeast facing slopes in particular in high Alpine regions.

The fresh and somewhat older wind slabs are to be found in particular adjacent to ridgelines and in gullies and bowls and generally at elevated altitudes. They can be released by a single winter sport participant in isolated cases in particular on steep north, east and southeast facing slopes above approximately 2200 m. In particular on very steep slopes the avalanches can be triggered in the various wind slab layers and reach large size in isolated cases. Whumpfing sounds and the formation of shooting cracks when stepping on the snowpack are a clear indication of a weakly bonded snowpack.

The soft wind slabs are poorly bonded with the old snowpack on very steep shady slopes. Weak layers exist in the snowpack in particular here. Adjacent to ridgelines and in gullies and bowls snow depths vary greatly, depending on the infuence of the wind.