Avoriaz Snow Report: 19th December 2013

Whilst everyone else in Avoriaz starts celebrating avalanche experts are less optimistic, in some cases predicting the most unstable conditions in nearly twenty years. Avalanche expert Alain Duclos was quoted earlier this week saying “we've not seen these conditions for a number of years....Anything that falls on top of this layer will be particularly unstable.”

The problem is a lack of snow early on in the winter followed by a long cold spell, like the conditions we have had recently. This combination of a shallow snow pack and cold temperatures causes the snow crystals to change shape and form a sugary, granulated layer. These sugary snow crystals don't bond well to each other or new snow. When the new snow that is forecast arrives it will form slabs on top of this weak layer and if they break away there is a potential avalanche accident.

“I've seen the weak layer a lot lately in the Northern Alps.” Said Henry Schniewind, avalanche expert and off-piste guide. “and I think the conditions across the wider Alps have been analogous to what we have been experiencing here. I think it's fair to extrapolate the threat we are facing here to resorts across the French and Swiss Alps.” At the moment the snow is only flurrying in Avoriaz and most of us are hoping for a proper dump but Henry warns that “ Twenty to forty centimetres of new snow could be enough for a really dangerous avalanche situation.”

At the moment the forecasters seem to be undecided as to how much snow we can actually expect in Avoriaz but if a proper dump does arrive we will all need to be careful skiing in the off-piste.

You can learn more about Avalanches & Off-Piste Safety in Avoriaz here on SeeAvoriaz.com. If you are nervous or unsure about the conditions in then we recommend hiring an Off-Piste Guide for the day.