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Observed an avalanche or triggered one yourself? Please report it!

Feedback is important for the avalanche warning service.

by Steffen Kruse • 01/06/2016
Partially powerful avalanche on the Schwarzhornfurgga (2880 m), Flüela Pass, GR.

Partially powerful avalanche on the Schwarzhornfurgga (2880 m), Flüela Pass, GR.

F. Techel/ SLF, 20.12.2015
"Remote triggering from approx. 200 meters, avalanche length approx. 120 meters, height max. 1 meter, cone 250 meters, ...". This avalanche report reached the SLF avalanche warning service on 19.12.2015 at 15:15. In this joint text, Steffen Kruse from PowderGuide and Thomas Stucki from the SLF Avalanche Warning Service describe how it came about and why such reports are useful for the avalanche bulletin or the rescue services.

It was 19.12.2015 when my colleague and I set off on our first ski tour of the season towards Flüela Schwarzhorn (near Davos, GR). We had no expectations of encountering fresh, knee-deep powder, as it hadn't snowed for weeks and there was a "low" avalanche risk. We just wanted to see what it looked like "up there" and enjoy the mountains, the weather and the peace and quiet. The not exactly lush snow base quickly made it clear to us that we would need to pay more attention on the descent at the latest in order to avoid the hidden rocks (sharks) and not have to end the season early due to injury.

On the way to Schwarzhornfurgga

After a few hundred meters in altitude, we had the first steep section ahead of us, which neither of us considered to be critical in terms of the snow conditions. A short time later, we reached a plateau from which we could see the saddle. We climbed on slowly and discussed the possible downhill options, whereby I also warned against a certain section of the slope, as I had already triggered a small snow slab there once. We also talked about possible ascent options, whereby we had no concerns due to the avalanche situation, the general conditions and the old ascent track and therefore saw no need for my "safer" ascent option.

Shortly after discussing the situation and weighing up the various options, we heard and felt a clear settlement. We looked at each other and were more than warned, but too late, because shortly afterwards another settlement followed, the view to the saddle showed nothing good, the slope started to move over a large area. No words were needed to understand the seriousness of our situation, but I shouted loudly....run! We both ran away and narrowly escaped the avalanche. We were full of adrenaline, our faces were frozen and we looked at each other in disbelief. We hadn't expected what had just happened in a matter of seconds under the current conditions. We broke off the tour and were simply happy in the valley that the supposedly safe pleasure tour hadn't had a completely different outcome with serious consequences.

On arrival at home, I immediately reported my observation to the SLF via the online tool and added pictures. This was important for me to inform everyone "out there" about the hidden and unexpected danger and possibly save others an experience or worse."

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Partially powerful avalanche on the Schwarzhornfurgga (2880 m), Flüela Pass, GR.

Partially powerful avalanche on the Schwarzhornfurgga (2880 m), Flüela Pass, GR.

F. Techel/ SLF, 20.12.2015

Partially powerful avalanche on the Schwarzhornfurgga (2880 m), Flüela Pass, GR.

F. Techel/ SLF, 20.12.2015

In the avalanche warning center

Steffen's observation reached the avalanche warning center at the SLF at 3:15 pm. The avalanche warners were at the so-called "briefing", their twice-daily situation briefing. The report arrived just in time to be included in the forecast for the next day. Thanks to the photos, it was immediately clear to the avalanche warning team that the avalanche had started in an angular layer of snow close to the ground and that the situation was dicey - dicier than forecast. A call back to Steffen to clarify the circumstances showed that the old snow situation had worsened significantly with little fresh snow: early winter has rarely been as snow-poor as this one. While there was almost no snow in many places and hiking conditions prevailed, there were only a few larger, contiguous areas of snow above around 2600 meters. The thin snow cover had transformed considerably on shady slopes and was therefore very soft and poorly bonded. At the top there was around 15 cm of snow, which had fallen a few days earlier in mild temperatures. If there are weak layers of snow and this weak snow cover is snowed in, this is known as an old snow problem. In this avalanche, the main problem was precisely this, the thin and unfavorable old snow cover, which was overlaid by bound snow. Situations like this usually last for several weeks, so they are likely to keep us busy this winter.

Remotely triggered avalanche on the northern slope at 2880 m, Schwarzhornfurgga, Flüelaplass, GR on 19.12.2015. The avalanche tore through to the weak old snow

Remotely triggered avalanche on the northern slope at 2880 m, Schwarzhornfurgga, Flüelaplass, GR on 19.12.2015. The avalanche tore through to the weak old snow

SLF/F. Techel, 20.12.2015

Useful feedback

In mid-December, Steffen's report was also one of the few and therefore particularly valuable pieces of information from the field. Due to the lack of snow, only a few people were out and about at the time. But feedback from the terrain also generally contributes to a better data situation and better forecasting of the avalanche danger - regardless of whether fresh snow, avalanches, booming noises, crack formation, drifting snow was observed - or none of the above. Since this winter, people who are out and about in the Swiss Alps have a simplified way of sending their own observations from the terrain directly to the SLF avalanche warning service - via the SLF app "WhiteRisk" or the SLF website. The avalanche warning service is happy to hear about your observations via this tool. How it works is described here.

By the way: Even in a ski resort, it is important to report triggered avalanches to the local piste and rescue service, even if no one has been injured. Without having witnessed the avalanche yourself, it is often not clear whether someone has been buried or not. In a ski resort, this lack of clarity often leads to precautionary search operations, which are time-consuming and expensive. The message to the piste and rescue service: "We have triggered this avalanche, there is nobody inside", can therefore prevent a lot of excitement and expense.

By: Steffen Kruse (PowderGuide) and Thomas Stucki (SLF avalanche warning service)

Editor's note:

The avalanche warning services of other regions also appreciate feedback and sometimes offer corresponding reporting options, for example for Tyrol

Our snow pesterer Lukas Ruetz has also written an informative article on the topic on his homepage. Link to his article.

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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