Following recent snowfalls, avalanche danger in the Alps has risen to level 4 out of 5. From the Allgäu Alps in Bavaria to the French Alps, experts are warning for Sunday of spontaneous avalanches that can trigger with minimal load or on their own. Professionals urge great caution and restraint off the pistes.
Avalanche danger has intensified in the Alps following recent snowfalls. For Sunday, high risk has been declared across much of the region, the fourth of five warning levels. This affects areas from the Allgäu Alps in Bavaria to the French Alps.
According to the Bavarian Avalanche Warning Service, high danger prevails above the tree line in the Allgäu Alps, with considerable danger (level 3) below. The main issue is so-called wind slabs—fragile snow masses transported by wind. Avalanches can release here with little load or even spontaneously.
In Austria, particularly in western Tyrol and Vorarlberg, such spontaneous avalanches must be expected. "The danger spots are numerous and even hard to recognize for the experienced," warn Tyrolean experts. "Great caution and restraint are necessary," they emphasize, echoing their Bavarian counterparts.
Current hazard maps show a red risk band across the Alps, from the east to the French-speaking west of Switzerland and deep into France. The Swiss warning service SLF describes conditions for ski tourers and deep-snow winter sports enthusiasts in unsecured terrain off the pistes as "very critical".
Avalanche bulletins serve residents of alpine areas and especially winter sports enthusiasts like backcountry skiers in assessing risks. They feature five levels: from low through moderate and considerable to high and very high. Caution is advised even at the two lowest levels, as more than a third of all avalanche fatalities occur in them.
The warnings highlight the need to stick strictly to marked pistes and consult avalanche reports.
