Bollettino valanghe

Covered snowdrifts and weak old snow are both prone to triggering. Isolated glide-snow avalanches.

Covered snowdrifts and weak old snow are both prone to triggering. Isolated glide-snow avalanches.

Mostly moderate avalanche danger prevails at high altitudes. In steep wind-impacted terrain, freshly generated and also older, covered snowdrifts can easily be triggered. Particularly on high-altitude, shady, steep slopes the snowpack can fracture down to deeper layers. These signals of alarm are not visible to the naked eye. Whumpf noises and glide cracks are red flags. Small-to-medium sized avalanches can be triggered by one single skier. Even remote triggerings are possible. Activities in outlying terrain beyond the secured public ski slopes demand experience in evaluating avalanche dangers on-site, as well as knowledge of the terrain. On steep grass-covered slopes more than anywhere else, small-to-medium sized glide-snow avalanches are possible.

Sunday was for the most part dry, with a few bright intervals. Last night there was 5-10 cm of fresh snow registered amid light winds, in Bregenzerwald mountains as much as 25 cm. The snow was deposited up to 1800 m atop a consolidated, partially rain-encrusted and settled old snowpack. With ascending altitude the snow has been transported over the last few days by intermittently strong-to-stormy W/NW winds. Thus, in ridgeline and pass areas, as well as behind abrupt changes in the terrain, fresh snowdrift accumulations were ongoingly generated. These are now covered, hard to recognize, and often prone to triggering. At mid-level of the snowpack at high altitudes on shady slopes there are faceted crystals evident. Remote triggerings and releases caused be skiers confirm this proneness to triggering.

In the morning, some snow showers will pass through from the north. The amounts of fresh snow will be minor. In the Montafon and Silvretta it is expected to remain predominantly dry. In the afternoon, conditions are expected to improve, with a few bright intervals. Temperature at 2000 m: -9 degreees. Light to moderate W/NW winds at high altitudes.

Tonight and on Tuesday during the daytime a few more snow showers are anticipated. It will brighten increasingly over the course of the day. It will remain cold. At high altitudes and on steep shady slopes the snowpack remains prone to triggering. Andreas Pecl