What does the scale above mean to you as a skier or rider in the Gulmarg backcountry? Remember, this advisory is for the Gulmarg backcountry, which means the terrain that is outside of Gulmarg Ski Area. The red areas in the photo below are the Gulmarg backcountry, and the green area is Gulmarg Ski Area. This advisory does not apply to the green zone ski area. Read more here.

Snowpack Discussion

A significant number of avalanche accidents and fatalities occur every year globally when the avalanche danger rating is Moderate (2). Today, Avalanche danger is Moderate (2) at and above 3000 meters here in the Gulmarg backcountry.  Natural avalanches are unlikely, human triggered avalanches are possible.  The #1 avalanche problem for today is Persistent Slab above 3000 meters. The areas with snow in the photo adjacent contain depth hoar, and have a slab sitting on top of this persistent weak layer, and now with a new load of more than a foot of snow on top of this slab.  Do take notice that this persistent weak layer also exists right at treeline (see photo in avalanche problems below).  Avalanche Problem #2 today at all elevations is Dry Loose avalanches.  See the avalanche problems description below to understand these two avalanche problems further.  It should be mentioned that during avalanche control work yesterday, we found newly formed stubborn wind slabs that were difficult to trigger with a ski cut but were reactive in mid-slope sheltered areas near rocks and ridgelines on Northerly aspects. Historically, fatalities in Gulmarg have occurred due to teams “dropping in” on top of each other, and triggering avalanches that have buried skiers and snowboarders further down the slope. Perhaps your group is being safe and choosing conservative terrain, but is the group above you?

Choose to ride in groups in the forests of Gulmarg. http://www.deepsnowsafety.org/index.php/. We now have enough snow in the conifer forests above 3200 meters for skiers and riders to get trapped in tree wells. Read more about this phenomenon in the link above. It causes several fatalities each year in other ski regions of the globe.

https://avanet.avatech.com/

—————————-

Avalanche Problem #1 – Persistent Slab

Release of a cohesive layer of soft to hard snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.
The best ways to manage the risk from Persistent Slabs is to make conservative terrain choices. They can be triggered by light loads and weeks after the last storm. The slabs often propagate in surprising and unpredictable ways. This makes this problem difficult to predict and manage and requires a wide safety buffer to handle the uncertainty.

Avalanche Problem #2 – Dry Loose

Release of dry unconsolidated snow. These avalanches typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. Loose-dry avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose-dry avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Loose Dry avalanches are usually relatively harmless to people. They can be hazardous if you are caught and carried into or over a terrain trap (e.g. gully, rocks, dense timber, cliff, crevasse) or down a long slope. Avoid traveling in or above terrain traps when Loose Dry avalanches are likely.

Further observations

Weather Forecast (link:http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Gulmarg/6day/mid)