Gear of the Week | SNOWPROFILER

The Tyrolean avalanche commissions and the Tyrolean avalanche warning service dig hundreds of snow profiles every year. Immediate recording of the profiles in the field is essential in order to be able to process the collected data. This allows a profile, i.e. a piece of the mosaic, to be put together to form the big picture of general snowpack stability. But snow profiling is now also experiencing a renaissance for the average winter sports enthusiast: you can only deal with the problem of old snow properly if you understand what is going on in the snowpack. No lecture, no book, no explanation can provide this understanding. You have to stick your nose in the snow yourself and carry out stability tests. The snow profile is therefore not used for direct, personal risk assessment but only indirectly to better understand the risk assessment of the avalanche warning services and, above all, to be able to comprehend it. This is because it is and remains impossible to carry out a hazard assessment on the basis of one, two or even ten profiles - only dozens of mosaic pieces provide the necessary resolution to be able to interpret the overall picture correctly.

gear of the week

presented by

So if you dig every now and then, you're doing yourself a favor. For those who also want to record the profiles, the SnowProfiler from the Tyroleans is recommended.

Contents of the SnowProfiler

In addition to a completely revised guide to snowpack analysis, all relevant content for snow profile recording can be found as well as several template pages for recording the profiles you dig yourself. To make the standard tests (ECT and slide block) even easier to implement, there is a new classification scheme, which is also included in the SnowProfiler.

Ordering options

The field book can be ordered online here or picked up directly from the office of the Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety at Tivoli, Olympiastraße 10, in Innsbruck.

Snow profile and ECT on the Pirchkogel

Lukas Ruetz

Don't forget: enter recorded profiles in LAWIS

The recorded profiles can then be entered into the avalanche information system without prior registration. This provides the avalanche warning services and subsequently the winter sports community with important information on the condition of the snow cover! With the profile, you are not only helping yourself - but also all of us with another piece of the mosaic.

Key data
approx. 80 pages (9.5x14.5cm) with waterproof cover

Price: 11 euros / piece

Published by: Office of the Tyrolean Provincial Government Department of Civil Protection and Disaster Control, Avalanche Commission Affairs