Avalanche Danger Assessment
• Sum up of Guidemeeting 29/2 (Prelaunch):
The snowpack is largely affected by wind, and you find a mix of hardpacked snow, stripped old crust and pockets of loose snow. The general picture is that there are few large windslabs, and the mild temperature help the stabilizing. The facets (woumphs) observed up to 450masl do not seem to be a as pronounced higher up.
There is still good snow to be found in sheltered, moderately steep, east-facing formations. However, substantial wind drift has been observed i several parts of the region. Some steep, northfacing formations might have a considerable loading, and should be treated with caution.
• There is some uncertainty about whether the facets are rounding or developing at low altitude. • The meeting suggested that with the current situation, of the two avalanche problems in the forecast, "wind drifted snow" is more prominent than "persistent weak layer". It was also questioned wether size 3 is likely for that problem at the moment.
Notes
• The meeting suggest "Status Quo" as strategic mindset, and the possibility for "Stepping out" for guides who are familiar with the sowpack in the region. • Information and link to meeting