Weekly report from HAT - 09/01/08
Since we last wrote there has been at least another 30cm of new snow. When the recent snow fell it was wet and heavy (see Roddy's reports)
Tragically we just heard on radio that a snowboarder got killed in an avalanche in Tignes in the Tufs couloir.
It is now a complicated week for conditions and stability. The risk level is 3 above 2000m. This means that natural avalanches are unlikely but a single skier could trigger an avalanche when on any 30 degree or steeper slope oir when crossing at the base of a steeper slope.
There have been relatively few slides given how much snow fell, but be careful, as well as the Tufs incident today we know of another incident on the orientation table route on Bellevarde where a seasonnaire got taken over a small cliff and survived but was very shaken.
On the brighter side, the wet and heavy snow has all dried out above 2000m due to a dry clear night and there is plenty of nice snow to be had if you know where to stay safe. If you are not sure play on lower angle slopes and keep an eye out for steeper slopes above you or convexity's below you.
The Guides may be seen on the steeper slopes, since some of them are OK, but if you do not know how to tell which is OK and which is not then play safer when the bulletin shows a risk level of 3.
The situation is likely to change rapidly but it is hard to predict.
If it stays warmish as forecast for the next 2 days, then the current snow will settle well and form a good layer for the next snowfall to bond with. But this may not happen and our big advice is to track the conditions each day to see how the base layer evolves. If you do that, then you will be in a stronger position to judge how unstable the situation will be when the next snow arrives on Friday night Saturday morning.
We are expecting some good colder snow on Saturday early morning provided the cold front from the west makes it through to displace the southerly weather system we have predicted for Thursday and Friday.
The longer term outlook shows more snow later next week on Monday and Wednesday. There will be plenty of great skiing to be had. Spotting where it is safe is a bigger challenge.
2 top tips
Track what happens to the current snow as the weather changes over the next 2 days. Stay on lower angle slopes if you are not sure about the risks until it is clearer that the risk levels have subsided.
So be careful, study the bulletins (on our web logs.) and read ski diaries from Andreas, Henry and Wayne Watson of Alpine Experience.
Future ezines will be on Wednesday evening or Thursday - next one on 16th January.
Regards: Chris Radford - HAT ezine editor
Snow report from Andreas
Hello all. Well, we got some more snow last week with a rain / snow limit that was quite high. It's interesting that the temperature goes up and down like a yo-yo, before we never used to get rain in January but it's been quite normal the last couple of years. I now say that the only logic with the weather is that there is no logic!
Depending on altitude, 20 - 50 cm fell in the storms early last week. When this is written, Wednesday the 9th, we've just enjoyed our first good visibility day and we skied some very nice snow. The snow pack dried out quite nicely after being very heavy during the storm.
Concerning the stability, there where a few big slabs triggered by skiers during the storm but then when it cleared up, one observed that not many slides where triggered by skiers but there where many natural and artificial avalanches around.
My explanation to this is that since the snow is quite dense, skiers are not often getting to the weak layers that Henry talked about last week. However some of the big blasts did and big avalanches where triggered by the explosives.
This I can explain more in detail if you come to an in-depth talk in Val D'Isere on a Thursday, or try to read Alain Duclos article on:
It doesn't mean that it's all green lights to go anywhere because if you do get to the "weak spots" the avalanche can go very big.
The forecast is for some Foehn winds which is not fun! It could have happened already when you read this. We normally don't get much snow when that wind is blowing so I hope it won't last long and that the winds turn so we get some more snow in moderate quantities!
Keep following the snow and the different layers so that you can make safe decisions when it next snows.
Have fun and be safe - Andreas HAT and Alpine Experience
Tip of the week:
Don't take other peoples track for you own safety. Although a heavy skied slope (bumps!) would have been stabilised by skier's compaction, a slope can still avalanche even if there are a few tracks.
