The most common myths about snow and avalanches
Number 3 : "There is little snow, therefore, there is no danger."
Statistically, winters with less snowfall are the ones with more accidents, so we cannot rely on this false belief when planning our excursion.
There are mainly two reasons for this.
The first one is that if there is little snow in the area where we have decided to go to, we will be tempted to look for it, especially on the descent. But it could be, and it is actually very likely, that what we are finding is wind-blown snow, the builder of avalanches, which is deposited mainly in basins and channels. We must therefore pay more attention and carefully observe the environment to identify the signals that allow us to understand and anticipate the position of possible snow slabs. Correct micro-tracking and precautions such as safety distances become really important here.
The second reason is that a reduced thickness of the snow cover leads to a high probability that there will be a medium, high gradient metamorphism prevailing within it. This will be due to the temperature difference between the layer closest to the ground (warmer due to the geothermal flow) and the one closer to the surface. With "cold" temperatures, this temperature-difference increases, favoring the metamorphism due to gradient and consequent formation of angular faceted grains that can also become cup-shaped crystals (depth hoar).
In any case, we are facing potential layers with weak cohesion; this is not a problem as long as the snow cover is thin, but it becomes more insidious when they are covered, and therefore hidden, by new snowfalls.
In short, "There is little snow" should not be a continuous green light, but rather a flashing yellow light that must make us think all the way through our tour.
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Ernesto Bassetti
Ernesto is one of the leading snow and avalanche experts in Italy and beyond.
By passion and by profession, he has been involved in mountain safety for over 40 years, with particular attention to the avalanche issue.
He is co-founder, and until 2020 Vice President, of MND Group; important international player in the field of mountain infrastructure and world leader in controlled avalanche release systems.
He is a ski instructor, National Ski Mountaineering Instructor, former director of the Mario Righini Ski Mountaineering School.
He was promoter, co-founder and soul of the "Servizio Valanghe Italiano" (Italian Avalanche Service), of which he held the Presidency for 18 years.
