High avalanche danger in Switzerland: “the situation is critical”

Heavy snowfall has made the snowpack unstable and the avalanche danger remains very high. A snowboarder lost her life in Graubünden and a slide broke out in Crosets (VS). An Air-Glaciers guide and rescuer reminds us of the current danger that reigns off-piste.

Off-piste lovers will have to be patient. According to information from MeteoSwiss, in the Alps and Pre-Alps region, 30 to 60 cm of new snow were measured between Sunday and Monday morning. Tuesday morning, there was talk of almost a meter of snow above 1500 m.

A wagon of white gold that we owe to the depression “Enol” centered on the North Sea, bringing cold and humid air into a strong northwest current.

But smiles can quickly give way to grimaces. In Crosets (VS), a plate was triggered on Tuesday afternoon. Rescuers and helicopters were on site searching for skiers.

A “critical” situation

The website of the Institute for the Study of Snow and Avalanches (SLF) is crossed out in red. Level 4 alerts (high danger) are visible in many stations. On the various bulletins, it is recalled that flows can already be triggered by a single winter sports enthusiast. Spontaneous avalanches are also feared in many regions.

When contacted, the SLF confirms the instability of the snow mass: “Currently, there is a fragile mantle of old snow in many places, which is why the avalanche situation is also critical in many regions.” This is a typical situation at the start of the season, which will settle down in the coming days.

To see this and slow down the most daring, the fresh snow and drifted snow rest on an unfavorable layer of old snow, describes the SLF.

Of the lucidity to detect pitfallsrecalls Air-Glaciers

“You need lucidity and the ability to detect traps,” emphasizes François Mathey, mountain guide and specialist rescuer at Air-Glaciers. He continues:

Thanks to ski lifts, for example, it is possible to access off-piste sites without taking the time to analyze them. A real danger, according to the expert: “With euphoria, we can launch ourselves onto slopes where the snow cover is not yet stabilized,” analyzes the guide.

Air-Glaciers spokesperson Gael Gillioz recalls that the rescue company's helicopters have already intervened for two avalanches (the first for hikers and the second for off-piste skiers) before this heavy precipitation: Sunday December 15 in the Derborence region (VS) and Friday December 20 in the Verbier region (VS). A third operation was launched this Tuesday, December 24, in the Thyon region (VS). It turned out to be a simple search.

Following these heavy snowfalls, ski areas are on alert to secure the slopes. Air-Glaciers is not to be outdone: “We have five helicopters which left Tuesday morning (red: December 24)”, informs François Mathey.

As for the resorts, Verbier speaks of an ideal situation before the massive influx of snow sports lovers. “The large crowds are not expected before December 26. This therefore gives us time to secure and gradually prepare our entire ski area between today and tomorrow,” concludes Lionel May, operations director of Téléverbier.

As an anticyclone gives way to bright sunshine, the avalanche danger will slowly decrease. However, the critical situation will last several days, as reminded by the sad accident of Sophia Hediger, who lost her life in a slide in Arosa (GR).

The two brothers who attacked Patek Philippe employees with a trash bag filled with explosives and a parcel bomb have been arrested. They are also accused of trying to extort money from Migros.

Last August and November, two mysterious explosions shook Geneva. Both targeted employees of the luxury watch company Patek Philippe and injured two people: a 43-year-old employee of the watch factory, who touched a garbage bag filled with explosives in front of his door in the Saint-Jean district , injured his leg. In November, in the Grange-Canal district, the explosion of the parcel bomb in a mailbox seriously injured a 12-year-old girl in the stomach, whose father works at Patek Philippe.