APRIL 15th - APRIL 21st 2023: weekly report of freeride conditions

It’s like the Fanta: ‘’miga buna ma l’è tanta’’ (for the season standards) SNOW QUALITY

For the whole week the best spots to ski where the northern slopes above 2600 m, where the loose snow remained unaffected by winds and solar radiation. Frome the evening of the April 20 a storm coming from South whitened the valley with 20-30 cm of fresh snow. This was bad to ski below 2300 m due to the daily warming the April 21 while in alpine was heavy but enjoyable.

SNOWPACK STABILITY AND AVALANCHE OBSERVATIONS Until April 20, above 2300 m, along shaded slopes the wind and soft slabs lied on persistent week layers alternated to melt-freeze crusts. It’s likely to trigger avalanches with a single person overload and these can reach the medium size. It’s still likely to hit stones both skiing or if caught in avalanches. From April, 20 afternoon the warming following the snowfall led to several wet loose snow sluffs and few wet slab avalanches. The danger level was 1-low below the treeline, 2-moderate at the treeline and 3-considerable above the treeline for the whole week.

SNOWPACK

Above 2600 m, at the beginning of the week on shaded slopes loose slabs were on the surface and lied on persistent weak layers. Ridges were eroded and to the other exposures and elevations there were a melt-freeze crust on the surface. The snowpack was poor or absent below the treeline and on Southern slopes even at the treeline. From the April 20 the new snow led to accumulation in Alpine on which a melt-freeze crust rapidly formed in the afternoon on the surface. Below 2400 m the situation was unchanged.

WEATHER

The week was mainly sunny with slightly above average temperatures and some high cloud passages. Perturbation between Thursday evening and Friday morning from South, then significant warming with frost level up to 3000 m.