Avalanche bulletin and weather forecast Haute Savoie

This avalanche translation of the Meteo France avalanche bulletin is produced mainly through an automated translation tool. Please use it in conjunction with the French bulletin found at the above link.

N74291211
SNOW AND AVALANCHE BULLETIN - HAUTE SAVOIE
(VALID OFF OF MARKED AND OPEN AND RUNS )
PREPARED ON SATURDAY DECEMBER 29
FOR SUNDAY DECEMBER 30
ESTIMATE OF RISK UNTIL SUNDAY EVENING:
All masses Haute-Savoie: limited risk (level 2).

WEATHER OVERVIEW UNTIL SUNDAY EVENING:
Light snowfall until Sunday noon (ten cm and a little windy), then clarified.

Isothermal 0 1500 1000 m.
Isothermal -10 GD: down to 2500 m.
Wind at 2000 m: 40 west then north-east 30 km / h.
Wind at 4000 m: 40 west then north 60 km / h.

SNOW CONDITIONS:
They are correct for late December but nothing more. The skiable limit is 800/1000 m and generally in northern slopes, 1200 meters in the south.
The snow is intermittent at altitude following episodes of strong wind. The ridges are sometimes dismantled and bowls are well loaded. Beware of the snow bridges that can be fragile on the lower parts of the glaciers.

Quality of snow for Sunday: Early snow and fresh powder expected to be pleasant but skiing thickness will be insufficient to mask the more or less hard or frozen, old traces.  On southern slopes, the snow will deposit on a crusty snow. Areas close to the peaks and high altitude will be well worked by the wind, often hard with a little snow on the surface.

STABILITY OF SNOW COVER: Small fragile, slabs but not very thick.

The low snowfall (about 10 cm in total) will be a little unstable surface snowpack. In fact, after more than 15 days of good weather, the snow will deposit on an old aspect of powdery snow, but without cohesion in the slopes with little or no sun, which are numerous at this time of year, and especially where snow was little worked by the wind in recent days and barely frequented by skiers.
Therefore, in the eastern, northern, and western slopes, it will be possible to trigger some small brittle  slabs with the passage of a skier, we will talk instead of the low slabs saw thick. But we must still be cautious, because this risk may be present in the midst of a slope in the shade and away from the peaks, particularly if the sector has seen only a little use recently. And despite their low thickness, these possible small slabs can unbalance a skier, therefore pay attention to the configuration of the terrain.
With the wind, some wind slabs will also form at altitude, rather towards the peaks and bumps.

As to the risk of natural avalanches, it will be very low.

TREND LATER RISK: Monday and Tuesday, the risks are expected to remain stationary or slightly down
Meteo-France updates this newsletter everyday at 16h or sooner if conditions warrant.