According to the Swiss Avalanche Research institute the Swiss Alps are experiencing an unusually poor snow cover and a generally low risk of avalanches. Experts noted that most alpine regions are only lightly blanketed in snow due to prolonged dry conditions, with fresh powder often hard to find. Although isolated weak layers have formed within the snowpack, these have been largely covered by only a thin overlay of new snow, limiting the potential for widespread avalanche activity.
“There is little snow cover overall, and the quality of the existing snow has been poor,” the report explains, pointing out that surface crusts and faceted snow crystals are now typical across many slopes. However, with the fragile layers capped by only modest snow thickness, major avalanche releases remained unlikely at present.
Field observations recorded small, human-triggered slab avalanches in some high mountain locations — for example near Davos and in the Valais but these were limited in size and impact. On several steep slopes, snowpack instability was detectable through cracking sounds and minor slides, yet the lack of deep snow prevented larger accumulations from forming.
Across large parts of the Alps above about 2,500 m, isolated weak snow layers exist, especially where light snowfall from mid- to late December has settled atop older, faceted snow. Even here, the danger remained low to moderate (Levels 1–2 on the European avalanche danger scale).
Snow depths throughout the Swiss alpine region are well below the long-term average for this time of year, at all elevations. In many areas north of the main Alpine ridge, snow cover is thin up to 2,000 m, and below historic norms even at higher altitudes.
The dry conditions extend to lower elevations as well: at some measurement stations below 1,500 m, there was virtually no measurable snow this Christmas a situation that, while unusual, has been seen before.
While there has been localized fresh snow, generally between 10 and 40 cm in parts of the southern Alps this has not been enough to significantly change the snowpack structure or increase avalanche danger. With no major snowstorms forecast at the time of the report’s release, forecasters emphasized that the snowpack and conditions are highly dependent on future weather.