Avalanche glossary

Basics
Risk management
Rescue

Snowpack

The snowpack influences the risk of avalanches

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Depending on the weather and terrain situation, differences arise in the stability of the snowpack (snow slab conditions of "compact snow" and "sliding layer"). The following applies:

  • The strengths in the separate slopes can vary greatly.
  • Different strength patterns in the same slope may result even with the same weather conditions.
  • Even small changes in strength patterns may alter the overall stability of the slope.
  • A triggering can be easily caused by a skier via the so-called hot spots (very weak slope areas where virtually there is no connection to the underlying layer).


Then the avalanche triggering may be caused just by the additional load of the skier on the snowpack. Snowpack tests could provide information on the risk of avalanches:

Schneedecken Information - Grundlagenwissen