Highly unstable off-piste conditions continue as accidental avalanches are widely reported in the N French Alps
One of many recent avalanche incidents illustrating unstable off-piste conditions (no one hurt in this one, as far as we know)
Accidental avalanche on “Familiale” – Val d’Isère (Sun 11th Jan)
Someone triggered this slide just minutes before I filmed.
It happened on a steep 30 to 35° slope, with debris funnelling into a gully terrain trap and reaching around a metre deep in places.
Piste Patrol and local guides responded immediately, conducting a careful transceiver search to confirm that no one was buried.
As far as we were aware at the time of filming, there were no victims — a very fortunate outcome given the terrain involved.
This incident perfectly illustrates what we highlighted in our latest snow report for the N French Alps and surrounding areas (10-16 Jan):
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Significant new snow from a multi-day storm
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Sitting on top of the very weak, ‘sugary’ layers formed during the prolonged dry spell, particularly during the cold clear nights
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Creating exceptionally dangerous conditions on steep slopes above terrain traps — even in locations that don’t typically avalanche
Six avalanche fatalities have tragically been reported over the weekend, along with numerous cases of accidentally triggered avalanches. See data-avalanche.org for information.
In light of the number of avalanche accidents recorded in off-piste areas, and the continuing high avalanche risk, yesterday the Prefecture of Savoie has called on all off-piste skiers to exercise utmost caution and responsibility – both for their own safety and for that of rescue personnel.
Avalanche risk forecast from Météo France for Mon 12 Jan remains beetween 3 and 4 for most places of the N French Alps. It will probably go down to a “considerable” Risk 3 from tomorrow, defined by the Swiss Avalanche Association as a “Critical avalanche situation”. Whumpf sounds and shooting cracks are typical. Avalanches can easily be triggered, particularly on steep slopes with the aspect and elevation indicated in the avalanche bulletin. Natural avalanches and remote triggering can occur.
Have fun—but most importantly, stay safe!
Check out our HAT Prevention Card with a ‘quick reference’ of the key accident reduction points.
It contains a score card scale to help you reference the potential danger for a given slope on a given day, and more info like definitions of the danger scale.
Watch the FREE Pocket Prevention Guide on Video for a step-by-step explanation of how to use it.
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