Avalanche
If you’re headed to the Alps this Valentine’s Day weekend, you may want to rethink those off-piste plans. Meteo France issued a Special Avalanche Statement on Friday, February 13, warning of a strong avalanche risk (4 out of 5) across the majority of the French Alps for Saturday, February 14. Level 4 is the highest rating on the European avalanche danger scale for accidental human-triggered slides.
Translation: conditions are primed, and it won’t take much to set something off.
Where the Danger Is Highest
The strong (4/5) rating applies to:
Haute-Savoie
- Mont-Blanc
- Chablais
- Aravis
Savoie
- Haute-Tarentaise
- Beaufortain
- Vanoise
- Maurienne
- Haute-Maurienne
Isère
- Grandes-Rousses
- Oisans
Southern Alps
- Champsaur
- Pelvoux
- Thabor
- Queyras
- Embrunais-Parpaillon
- Ubaye
In short, it’s widespread.
What’s Going On?
According to Météo-France, the snowpack remains very unstable above 1,800 to 2,000 meters (5,900-6,600 feet). Avalanches can still be easily triggered by skiers, snowboarders, and mountaineers — and they may involve very large volumes of snow.
The culprit is a potent combo:
- Heavy snowfall since the evening of Tuesday, February 10
- Strong winds associated with Storm Niles
- Significant wind loading in exposed terrain
- Recent snow sitting on top of weak, buried layers that have persisted for weeks
That’s a classic recipe for large slab avalanches. Even though the skies may clear and powder fever sets in, the snowpack hasn’t had time to stabilize. Wind slabs and deep instabilities remain a serious concern.
What To Do This Weekend
Extreme caution is recommended for any mountain activity outside marked and secured ski slopes.
Officials urge backcountry users to consult Avalanche Risk Estimation Bulletins via the Météo-France mountain page or mobile app and to check in locally with mountain professionals before heading out.
Rember: Level 4 doesn’t mean “impossible.” It means human-triggered avalanches are likely and natural avalanches remain possible.
Friday saw three skiers perish in Val d’Isère in the Savoie region, taking the death toll for the year to 22. The 10-year average annual for avalanche deaths lies at 21.6 for the hydrological year, putting this year on track to being an unfortunate record year, considering we are in mid-February still and avalanche deaths can happen until May.
