Avalanche.report

Wednesday 22 January 2025

Published 21 Jan 2025, 17:48:00


Danger level


Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Persistent weak layer
2200m


Snowdrift accumulations esp. on steep shady slopes and atop weak old layers

Avalanche danger is low. In all aspects, small-to-medium slab avalanches can be triggerd by minimum additional loading in places. Danger zones occur mostly near ridgelines and behind protruberances in the landscape, esp. on W/N/NE facing slopes, caution also urged near treelines and in forest clearances. Size and frequency of danger zones tend to increase with ascending altitude. Above 2000m, releases can fracture down to more deeply embedded layers inside the snowpack and grow to larger size. Small glide-snow and loose-snow avalanches can trigger naturally. Slabs, mostly small-sized, can be triggered even by minimum additiional loading both near to and distant from ridgelines and behind protruberances in the landscape on north, northwest and south facing slopes. Caution in transition from shallow to deep snow. If fractures occur down to more deeply embedded layers in the snowpack the releases can grow to medium size. Isolated glide-snow avalanches reaching medium size are possible at any time of day or night.

Snowpack

Often hardened snowdrift masses lie atop an expansively metamorphosed, loosely-packed snowpack surface with near-surface faceted crystals. Near surface crusts are weak layers of faceted, expansively metamorphosed crystals. Particularly in shady, shallow-snow zones there is snow which is rewarding to skiers, it is faceted, expansively metamorphosed powder which is settling increasingly with rising temperatures. In wind-exposed terrain the snowpack surface on steep sunny slopes is generating foehn conditions.

Tendency

No significant change in avalanche danger levels anticipated


Danger level


Avalanche Problem
Wind slab


Danger of taking a fall outweighs that of being buried in snow

Avalanche danger is low. Particularly on very steep shady slopes above the timberline, slab avalanches can be triggered in isolated cases by minimum additional loading. Releases are mostly small-sized. Apart from th danger of being buried in snow masses, the risks of being swept along and forced to take a fall need to be taken into consideration.

Snowpack

Often hardened snowdrift masses lie deposited on shady slopes atop an explansively metamorphosed surface. In wind-protected shady terrain, the surface is often rewarding for skiers, faceted, expansively metamorphosed power. In wind-exposed terrain the surface is highly varied, foehn conditions are being generated on steep sunny slopes.

Tendency

No significant change in avalanche danger levels anticipated