Off-piste Snow Report – N French Alps (week of 22 Feb): Rapid Warming, Wet-Snow Avalanches & Still Hidden Weak Layer(s)

Rapid warming, wet-snow avalanches… and a hidden weak layer on the shady side of the mountain (north’ish facing slopes above 2200 m)

We’ve had record-breaking accumulations of 2 to 3 metres of fresh snow over the last 10 days in the N French Alps and surrounding areas. This has led to lots of avalanches of all sorts : accidental (set off by skiers), natural and artificial (by explosives). There’s some great footage circulating on social media!

Rapid warming this week will quickly turn recent powder into heavy...