Two ski hikers survived two avalanches in the Pays de Savoie this weekend. “There is snow, which is good news. The snowpack is very unstable, which is bad news. You have to be wary this week, ” said avalanche expert Alain Duclos.
Friday in Val Thorens (Savoie), Saturday in Mont-Saxonnex (Haute-Savoie), two ski hikers survived two avalanches. "It's very unstable" confirms, for this Monday 6 December, the Savoyard avalanche expert Alain Duclos. "We have to be very suspicious, we can qualify the situation as worrying this week".
The invitation to be careful is addressed to skiers and hikers who survey the mountain off-piste. "It's a millefeuille made up of heterogeneous layers as it has snowed often in the last few days in moderate amounts and the snow has transformed. There is discontinuity in the snowpack. What is dangerous is the existence of fragile layers that break down easily. The second phenomenon that adds to the instability is the surface temperature of the snow, which is much lower than that of the air. In front of Tignes, at 2100 meters, on 3 December, we measured -30° on the surface with -18° in the air. We're up to 20 degrees apart. Third factor: the wind. Above 2000 meters, it blew and caused transports and accumulations of snow. The configuration is dangerous”.
Source: @Le Dauphiné
