| AVALANCHE DANGER |
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Still strong wind from North and freezing level at 2900 m. |
Friday 2/14/2020
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Avalanche problems: wind-drifted snow and wet snow.
End of the snowfall in the morning. Strong northwesterly winds at high altitude and zero temperatures at 2900 m.
The danger is greater in the western sectors, from the Val di Rhêmes to the Gran San Bernardo; it decreases moving towards south/east where there are less accumulations.
Triggered avalanches: above 2000-2200 m, on the steep slopes, a skier/hiker can trigger soft slab avalanches, of small/medium size. The wind accumulations are mostly located close to ridges, in basins and gullies, at all aspects.
On the slopes much more exposed to winds and in the central-eastern areas of the region, the main danger is to fall/slide on the hard snow surface, strongly hardened by sun and rain. Useful crampons.
Natural release avalanches: loose snow avalanches of moistened snow, especially from sunny slopes. Superficial slabs, of small/medium size, mainly on the steep slopes, above 2200-2500 m. |
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| AVALANCHE DANGER TREND |
Saturday 15: |
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Sunday 16: |
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Decreasing: progressive increase stability thanks to clear nights and the action of the sun, which however will cause a decrease of stability in the central hours of the day on sunny steep slopes. |
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GENERAL CONDITION
updated to 2/13/2020 |
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| Snow cover
The intensity of the winds has swept most of the fresh snow, in the north-west soft accumulations have formed locally, on average 30-50 cm thick which seem to be bonded and not very likely to propagate. Currently there is little snow in the central valley; in the lateral valleys continuous snow on the shady slopes above 1400 m, to the south above 1700-1900 m. At high altitude it is very uneven with bumps, ridges and cols eroded, where hard old snow or soil is found.
Avalanches observed (last 24h)
Some sluffs and a medium-sized spontaneous slab above 2200 m on a north-western slope.
Skiing conditions: between fair and bad
The snowpack surface is highly variable, at all altitudes it is easy to quickly pass from loose snow to very hard and slippery surfaces (rain crusts, melt and freeze crusts). There is beautiful snow to ski, cold and dusty, in areas sheltered from the winds. At high altitudes the loose snow and partly also the old snow have been eroded and you can ski on very hard snow. |
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| EUROPEAN AVALANCHE DANGER SCALE |
 Rising avalanche danger during the day |
|  | 5 | VERY HIGH |
|  | 4 | HIGH |
|  | 3 | CONSIDERABLE |
|  | 2 | MODERATE |
|  | 1 | LOW |
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| TYPICAL AVALANCHE PROBLEMS |
CRITICAL LOCATIONS |
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| NEW SNOW |
WIND-DRIFTED SNOW | PERSISTENT WEAK
LAYERS |
WET SNOW |
GLIDING SNOW |
IN BLACK: THE MORE CRITICAL ASPECTS AND ELEVATIONS |
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Snow and avalanche bulletin n° 85 issued on 2/13/2020 at 00:00 p.m.
Snow and avalanche bulletin n° 85 issued on 2/13/2020 at 00:00 p.m.
Valid outside the ski runs controlled and managed by the ski resorts. |
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For an accurate interpretation of the Bulletin, go here
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