Schneeprofil

First rain up to high altitudes, then several days with warmer than average temperatures for the time of year, and then the long-awaited fresh snow finally fell from the sky.

We roam the familiar channels and are surprised at how well they continue to deliver: Mountain art and agony, how to and charm and dialect.

From 12 to 13 December, a warm front swept in and quickly dashed the anticipation of a white Christmas. Accompanying the rise in temperature, it rained in some areas up to around 2000-2300 m, but the amount of rain was quite low. During the night from 13 to 14 December, the temperature dropped again and it cleared up. The snow surface, which had been moistened by the warmth and rain, cooled down again and a cover formed - resulting in broken slush.

What avalanche problem is there, at what altitude and exposure is it present, how can I recognize it, can I recognize it at all, what do I have to watch out for, why are the others going further - is it safe, have I made the right decision? The snow is great, should I take the risk.....?

Avalanche warning services, the media, numerous avalanche accidents and the first avalanche victims of the season in Salzburg have all issued impressive warnings about the current snowpack build-up over the last few days. We take a look at a current snow profile from Sölden in Ötztal.

A recent find on the Internet: "No winter without old snow problems - that's annoying!" We take a more nuanced view of this statement and put it into perspective: How is an old snow problem defined, what exactly does it look like at the moment and are all old snow problems a big problem for us?

Today I'm showing you the relevant layers for us before and after the snowfall at the beginning of March using several profiles. It's expected to snow heavily again in the northern Alps next week - so it's all the more important to know what's underneath the fresh snow!

In today's SnowFlurry we discuss a profile in which you can see that the susceptibility of the weak layer to disturbance has improved. In the last flurry, the same weak layer was even easier to disturb.

In today's Gestöber we discuss a snow profile from January 24, 2021. The profile was dug and recorded in the Mieming, on the Simmering, on a 34° steep, SE-facing and rather snow-poor slope.

While there was a precarious situation in the northern Alps a week ago with numerous spontaneous avalanches, you hardly ever see fresh avalanches that come off on their own anymore. Weak layers and snow slabs often quickly change their characteristics for the better - we compare two profiles that were recorded nearby during the situation and a week later.

The Austrian Society for Snow and Avalanches (ÖGSL) is organizing a virtual lecture evening with top-class experts from Switzerland and Austria next Thursday (21.1.) at 7 pm. As usual with "schnÖGSLn", the talks will be entertaining and accessible. After the talks, there will be time for questions from the audience and discussion.

In South Tyrol, East Tyrol and Upper Carinthia, there are currently some easily triggerable weak layers in the snowpack at certain altitudes and exposures. We take a look at two current profiles from East Tyrol.