Schneedecke

The next few days will be relatively sunny in the north with "normal", more or less seasonal temperatures. In the south, it will remain rather mixed with the influence of low pressure. There will also be some snow in the southwest (see current PowderAlert). It will become more uncertain towards the weekend; according to the current model opinion, the current will turn to the north on Saturday.

In this rummage, we take a closer look at the so-called Arlberg effect and its impact on avalanche danger. As this effect does not only occur on the Arlberg, we refer to it more generally as the "effect of off-piste descents".

After a few turbulent days with lots of fresh snow, the sun is back for the time being. The view of the general weather situation - currently and in the crystal ball - is not very wintry and the WeatherBlog is a little bored.

Due to the turbulent weather, the thin snow cover and fluctuating temperatures, we are moving from one avalanche problem to the next. Starting with an early winter old snow problem, we have recently been dealing with wild snow as a weak layer through to a very disruptive drift snow problem.

As every year, the SLF Winter Report provides a comprehensive review of the past snow and avalanche season in the Swiss Alps. The weather conditions and the development of the snow cover are presented in detail. Avalanche accidents in the 21/22 season are listed in tabular form, and some selected accidents are analysed in more detail.

This year, winter is taking a while to arrive, but as the saying goes, "good things take time". In any case, patience is still required for casual off-piste tours, as the limited amount and consistency of snow means that not much is possible yet. The danger of avalanches is already very present. We are worried about an early winter problem with old snow coupled with very susceptible drift snow packs. Let's hope it doesn't stay with us for the whole winter!

The skiing winter is not over yet, but it is slowly coming to an end. This can be recognized by the fact that the first reviews of the season are already available, for example from the SLF.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are the buzzwords of the moment in many areas and have been for the last few years. Corresponding techniques are also increasingly being used in snow and avalanche research. What exactly is AI, what are its concrete applications and what are the benefits?

In a new format called "AvaLounge", the SLF provides insights into the snow cover of the current winter. In a free online lecture, the avalanche forecasters discuss the topic of old snow in particular.

An end to the high pressure phase is not in sight. The Omega High will merely shift a little, so that the flow will turn to a more southerly direction over the next few days. This will make it warmer and slightly foehn-like, at least in the west.

An avalanche-rich time lies behind us. The old snow problem, which was responsible for many of the avalanches in recent weeks, unfortunately remains with us.

You can describe snow and avalanches using physics. In order to understand a snowpack, thermodynamics is required above all, which describes the partial pressures and transformation processes of the crystals. The triggering of an avalanche requires a description of the mechanical properties of the snowpack and fluid dynamics are used for its propagation. However, science can sometimes be quite dry. That's why today we are presenting videos that make the subject matter more digestible.