Could avalanche warnings be added to the snow reports?

I was just wondering whether you could add the risk of there being an avalanche in a particular resort to the snow reports, it would be very useful to know this.

I wouldn't like to be the 3rd party offering avalanche information.. it is always better to get it from the source and really not that much hassle. I wouldn't like to have on my conscience someone having taken avvy risk from my site and gone into the backcountry with just this knowledge. {Personally}

barber.chris wrote:I was just wondering whether you could add the risk of there being an avalanche in a particular resort to the snow reports, it would be very useful to know this.

That's not possible without someone calling up each station individually and asking unfortunately. Regional forecasts are produced, like this one for around here :

http://www.slf.ch/avalanche/pdf/rbuvs_fr_c.pdf

And you might think you can identify that a particular station lies in a particular zone but in fact stations can upgrade or downgrade local status based on their own assessment.

But, more to the point, if you're skiing off-piste, touring etc, you need to have read the full report yourself and understood it, anyone that skis off -piste just knowing the risk number is foolish.

There's a collation of that data for my local area here :

http://snowslider.net/snow-avalanche-conditons/

Thanks for the info ise. I wish they would include avalanche info in snow reports, but since they don't I guess it is up to everyone to find the avalanche reports for the area before hand

Thanks very much for the avalanche report, I've never seen one before, are they always in French in France or do they do an English version?

I have never been ski-ing 'off-piste', and at the moment I have no intention of doing so, but do they not publish this information at the lift office each day, with the other stuff everyone wants to know - like which pistes are open, what the temperature is etc.?

I mean, not everyone has access to the internet while on a ski-ing holiday, and I would guess (not knowing anything about this subject) that the situation changes from day to day.

I usually ski in lessons, but I have noticed that the instructors check the latest information at the lift office before the class.

Ally

Yes they do, usually a big number between 1 and 5 as well gives you the outline of what to expect.

The only way to be really sure is to have the knowledge yourself and start digging. Just because the avalanche rating is 'Considerable' for the area doesn't mean it won't be higher on a particular slope or lower on another.

The French ones are usually in French, the make an English available but only to some ski stations which is quite disgraceful. As is the appalling quality of their data. Your best bet is to dig out the reports auto-translated on pistehors.

The Swiss and Austrian reports are massively detailed and there's loads of background data for those that can read it. Not so in France though :roll:

Here in Switzerland we can get reports via WAP as well, But, really it's posted at access points and if it's not then go ask the pisteurs for it. Obviously there's times where some of us are on multi-day trips at high altitude and we don't have internet either, generally hut guardians get reports though.

Pablo Escobar wrote:The only way to be really sure is to have the knowledge yourself and start digging.

We don't dig pits in Europe really, it's not an effective decision making tool. We dig pits for snow science purposes and study but not to give a go/no-go decision on any given day. I would perform quick shovel shear tests while moving sometimes but at least partly to explain to people how the snowpack is evolving as much as decision making.

Thanks very much Pablo and Ise.
The whole idea of ski-ing off piste and getting caught up in an avalanche frightens me to death.

I can see if I ever want to go off piste I will have to brush up on my French.

Just ski-ing down the side of the piste is difficult enough for me. We were doing it, in a lesson, and the teacher hit a rock and fell over (the first time I have ever seen one of my instructors fall over), and at the same time I hit another hidden rock and also fell, and the guy behind me skied into me and because my ski had fallen off my boot had sunk a foot in the snow and I now have a very interesting vertical line down my calf where it was cut by his ski. I don't know if it will scar or not yet, but it is a new ski-ing memento.

But at least I am still alive, and not buried somewhere in an avalanche.

Ally