Northern Lepontine Alps

Wind slabs are to be evaluated with care and prudence. At transitions from a shallow to a deep snowpack, when entering gullies and bowls for example the likelihood of avalanches being released is greater.

Wind slabs are to be evaluated with care and prudence. At transitions from a shallow to a deep snowpack, when entering gullies and bowls for example the likelihood of avalanches being released is greater.

Some fresh snow and the wind slabs represent the main danger. The new snow and wind slabs can be released by a single winter sport participant on steep shady slopes above approximately 2200 m. The avalanches can be released in the various wind slab layers and reach large size. Whumpfing sounds and the formation of shooting cracks when stepping on the snowpack and natural avalanches serve as an alarm sign.

The new snow is lying on soft layers on wind-protected shady slopes. Faceted weak layers exist deeper in the snowpack in particular here. The soft wind slabs are bonding only slowly with the old snowpack. Adjacent to ridgelines and in gullies and bowls the amount of snow is subject to significant local variations.