Graupel

Due to the current situation caused by COVID 19 and the resulting curfew, we snow rummagers are also staying at home and using the time to share old, interesting profiles or technical knowledge with you. If you refresh and expand your snow and avalanche knowledge now, you will be all the better equipped for the next season - because it is sure to come.

Powder was still to be found on shady slopes and flatter sunny slopes this week, while broken snow was already prevalent on steeper sunny slopes. Sleet deposits could also be observed again and again.

This year, the weather is once again following the perceived trend of "bathing weather at Christmas, snow at Easter" and is generally "april" for the Easter weekend. Why is it often so unstable in April?

Winter returned with a roar over the Easter holidays. Hurricane Niklas was followed by further disturbances embedded in a strong NW current and snow and cold down to the valleys. Easter Monday seemed more like a successful St. Stephen's Day. This impression was only disturbed by the occasional rumble of thunder.

When analyzing hundreds of mostly tragic avalanche accidents, Rudi and Patrick discovered that most accidents occur in typical, recurring hazard patterns. They therefore developed 10 typical, particularly accident-prone and frequent hazard patterns. Recognizing these avalanche hazard patterns should help winter sports enthusiasts to behave with appropriate caution – and thus avoid accidents.