It has been raining since Thursday with heavier showers over the course of Friday. Initially the snowline was 1800m but this will drop to 400/500m over the course of Saturday. The snowpack is very humid below 2000m and the fresh snow on top will insulate this layer given poor skiing. Higher up there is fresh powder. Natural activity should decrease on Saturday afternoon with the return to colder conditions.
Avalanche risk back up to 3 and 4 in the Hautes Alpes and Northern French Alps. 50cm of snow to fall in this cycle with over a meter in some localized spots. There could be some big slabs. Meteo France talked of fractures in the 70cm range. Strong winds of 70km/h from the South-West have accompanied the snow on Friday and these will swing round to North and drop to 50 km/h on Saturday. In short most slope angles will see some wind loading and sintering.
We were in the mountains on Thursday snow shoeing. There was a thick ice crust in places which made the slopes treacherous and we saw a number of accidents on the ski slopes. This ice crust will form a sliding surface for the new snow and the snowpack is quite complex.
At 5am the wind swung round from the South to North West and within an hour the temperature plunged from 0C to -5C at 1800 meters. The earlier part of the evening had seen the zero isotherm around 2100 meters with snow at 2000 meters. We’ve picked up an additional 30cm of snow in the Western Alps since yesterday, but only above 2000 meters.
Snowline is now around 600-800m with light snow continuing today.
Still a lot of wind today from the North Sector and v.cold. About 20/30cm of fresh in the Chartreuse on what is now an icy base. The wind has stripped the snow from exposed areas and created some accumulations on lee slopes. Risk 3 maintained tomorrow.
There was a serious avalanche incident this morning on the Lac du Lou route from Val Thorens. Two season workers were hit by a slide that pushed them over small cliffs. One of the men suffered multiple injuries. The rescue helicopter was blocked by the bad weather and the injured man was rescued by pisteurs from the resort then taken to hospital.
We woke to snow in the valleys, just enough to create traffic chaos for commuters but this soon turned to rain as the zero iso climbed to 1800m by midday. The fresh snow of the weekend, well that which wasn’t blown away on Sunday, is now pretty humid below 1500m. There was less snow than anticipated, around 30 to 40cm at altitude
The avalanche risk remains generalized at 3/5 in the Isere, in the two Savoies there is a break at around 2200/2400 meters highlighting the stabilizing effects of the recent rain. This is even more marked in the Hautes Alpes where the risk jumps from 1 -> 3 at 2000m, a pretty rare sight.
Yesterday a 17 year old was taken by an avalanche in the vallon des Baysses (again) at Montgenèvre. The skier was taken into a tree and he suffered head injuries which required hospital treatment after a helicopter ride with the CRS. The rescue services were also in action in la Grave where a 47 year old Spaniard without equipment found himself blocked by cliffs in the Orcières couloir.
Risk going up to high in the Chartreuse and Belledonne tomorrow evening following an expected 60cm of fresh. Considerable risk elsewhere in the Northern and Hautes Alpes despite 80cm estimated over the next 36 hours in the Savoie.
Very strong wind from the SW today pushing snow onto North and East slopes. You can see this clearly in tomorrows bulletin for the Savoie.
High risk across much of the Pyrenees with up to 80cm of fresh snow anticipated. They warn of slabs “even in forest clearings”.
High avalanche risk (4/5) across the Pyrenees tomorrow, it is becoming something of a habit. Risk also goes up to High across the Isere mountains (Chamrousse, les 7 Laux, Alpe d’Huez where Simon Christy was skiing today and les Deux Alpes). Theres been 20cm of fresh today and another 30cm on the way tonight and tomorrow. Risk of avalanche anywhere above the tree line and purges on avalanche couloirs lower down. Considerable risk in the two Savoies and Hautes Alpes.
A party of snow shoers from the Paris region were hit by an avalanche in the Hautes-Alpes today. The group of a dozen people were equipped with avalanche beacons. The accident occured around noon near to the Lac Palluel at 2350 meters altitude in the Freissinières area of the Ecrins national park. A 61 year old was buried by slide just below the surface. Rapidly located by her friends she was heliported to Briancon hospital by the PGHM suffering from hypothermia.
In the Northern Alps the snow cover at all levels is excellent, 30-50% above average with skiing possible to 800-1200 meters. At 2000m there is over 200cm of snow in the Haute-Savoie and North of the Savoie. After a slow start the Southern Alps now have above average snow cover with skiin gto 1100-1400 meters. There is over 100cm of snow above 2000m. Corsica has average snow cover but it is very uneven due to frequent strong and sustained wind. Again there is over 100cm of snow at 2000m. As mentioned on the front page the Pyrenees has seen near record snowfalls with 200cm of snow at 1800m.
Chartreuse mountains today
There has been 40-50cm of snow over the last 36 hours in the Chartreuse; slightly less in the east of the French Alps. This is reflected in the avalanche risks which is down to 2 in parts of the Savoie and Haute-Savoie but still at 3 in the Isere. Risk is still 4 (High) in the Pyrenees.
Was out today, around the resort of Avoriaz, 80cm? of fresh, light powder over the last week or so. All well bonded and great to ski. Avalanche level of 2 below 2400m, though today they revised that to 2 below 2000m, and 3 above.
[ Edited: 08 February 2013 11:17 PM by endlessride]
Conditions are slightly improved today as the cold has destructured some of the cohesive, slabby snow of Thursday. However on exposed east facing slopes there is a sun crust forming. Excellent skiing in the woods of the Chartreuse.
Risk 3 still quite widespread across the Isere and Hautes Alpes and in the Mont Blanc area where today’s avalanche fatality occured. In the Savoie the risk is 1 -> 2 depending on the altitude. Continued light snow in the Pyrenees with another 20cm or so and risk maintained at High (4/5). Some areas have seen 2 meters of snow over the last week.
Was out today, around the resort of Avoriaz, 80cm? of fresh, light powder over the last week or so. All well bonded and great to ski. Avalanche level of 2 below 2400m, though today they revised that to 2 below 2000m, and 3 above.
Nice photos. The snow I’ve seen has been very well bonded, much better than the falls we got around New Year where it was very easy to trigger smallish 30cm slabs.
That said, fatality in Chamonix today in an enclosed couloir (the old wife’s tail, not without some basis, is that enclosed couloirs are safer than open slopes), maybe the skier was keen to get early tracks before the couloir had purged its excess snow?
The avalanche risk still High in the Pyrenees. Bareges has been evacuated following a slide that hit the village. Another 50cm will fall in the next 24 hours. It is the snowiest winter for 100 years in some sectors. Corsica is also getting fresh snow with 20cm already on the ground and another 30cm expected coupled with strong winds from the South-West. Avalanche risk is High on the Island. The Hautes and Northern Alps are getting up to 40cm of fresh. Risk is heading back up to 3 tomorrow during the day (Considerable). Snow will be coupled with strong winds from the South and East.
An off-piste skier drowned in Avoriaz on Saturday after falling into a river, an unfortunately frequent accident. In l’Alpe d’Huez an avalanche crossed the open Sarenne ski run and in the Pyrenees an avalanche blocked the access road to Pierre St Martin.
A snowplough has been hit by an avalanche on the Col du Lauteret this morning. The driver and his colleague were outside the vehicle clearing snow at the time and are safe. The plough was found dug out after a 3 hour operation and is still operational.
The skier killed off piste at Avoriaz has been named as Carl Hauteville, a well known local freestyle champion whose career came to a premature end after a knee injury.
Risk 5 (Extreme) in the Central Pyrenees (Bareges for example, Aspe-Ossau Department 64, Haute-Bigorre Department 65), Risk 4 elsewhere. Still snowing in the mountains. On Corsica the Risk 4 is dropping 3 during the day.
Isere & Hautes Alpes have High Avalanche Risk. There is a danger of skier triggered slabs close to summits and ridgelines and purges on steeper slopes and avalanche couloirs which could be consequent. An avalanche reached the Grenoble -> Chamrousse route today and there was a skier triggered avalanche on Chamchaude in the Chartreuse mountains.
In the Vanoise, Maurienne, Tarentaise the weak layer is buried at 1 meter from surface. Avoid skiing/climbing in tight formation. The risk 2/3 or 3/2 depending on which range you look at.
A Dutch skier has been killed after falling over cliffs on the Pas de Chèvre route in the Mont-Blanc range. He was skiing with his son at the time. His son was injured in the incident.
Six skiers caught in an avalanche at Nendaz, Switzerland this morning. They were in the Bec des Etagnes sector between Mont-Fort and the lac de Cleuson. Two were seriously injured, two received light injuries and the remaining skiers escaped unscathed.
A 52 year old woman, resident of the Valais canton was killed yesterday afternoon by an off piste avalanche in the Val d’Anniviers. She was part of a group of four skiers and a snowboarder who were off piste in the Corne de Sorebois sector at 2600 meters altitude. They were skiing down to the barrage de Moiry.
A young Swedish skier was killed today near Verbier (Swizterland). He was part of a group of four off piste skiers who were in the Plan de Fou sector at 2500 meters when triggered an avalanche. The victim was equipped with a transceiver.
