Schneedecke

The snow conditions are good for the time of year across the entire Alpine arc. Thanks to regular, quite remarkable fresh snowfalls. Intense fresh snowfall significantly increases the risk of avalanches. Why is that?

Sliding snow avalanches cannot be triggered by a regular additional load - neither as a skier nor as a blaster. Why is that the case?

The SLF's seasonal report on the 2016/17 avalanche winter in Switzerland is also available online. The report contains detailed information on the weather, snow cover and avalanche risk.

Far too little attention is paid to humidity in everyday snowmaking. However, its influence on the snow cover is just as important as the temperature. Let's consider a marriage in which complete equality between the two partners is the reality.

While the first big snowfalls of the season are causing a stir here in Germany, dozens of volunteers are mercilessly trampling the first snow of the winter in Aspen. Shoes and trouser legs wrapped in Ducktape, they march through the freshly snow-covered terrain to prevent the early season snow from becoming an old snow problem.

Winter is here, as is the snow, and the Snow Sturgeon has also returned to the keyboard from his snow profile hole in the Western Alps. With reference to last season's SnowFlurry columns, we are recalling some of the terms that regularly appear there.

The sporty winter is far from over and is picking up speed again these days. The snow flurries are now moving to higher altitudes with steeper slopes on average and are hoping for a few more turns of fluffy powder, followed by sizzling firn and summer firn, before surviving the summer in a snow profile hole on the highest glaciers in the Western Alps in heat torpor. So it's time to sum up:

The unsettled weather continues for the time being. After the very warm weekend, temperatures have now dropped back to a level appropriate for the time of year and the April weather is living up to its reputation with a mix of showers, clouds and a few hours of sunshine.

Moisture penetration and nocturnal radiation now become the primary avalanche-forming factor. What about temperature reserve, original layer sequence, humidity and isothermality?

For the coming weekend, there are warnings of a Föhn storm on the main Alpine ridge and the areas north of it - including Saharan dust. Almost every skier is familiar with foehn or foehn-like effects on the mountain. Especially those who like to stay in areas on the main Alpine ridge. But what does the downdraft do to the snow cover?

The indication of altitude in conjunction with avalanche problems and danger levels is the backbone of the avalanche warning. In most cases, the delineations are surprisingly accurate.

In an existing ascent track or on tracked slopes, the avalanche danger can be greater than on the same slope in untracked condition. What sounds absurd at first is easy to understand on closer inspection.