Expert warns of dangerous suspension drives in the mountains before Easter

When milder temperatures reach the Swedish mountains in the spring, the snow also becomes more unstable. It can create dangerous situations.

Petter Palmgren, avalanche expert at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, explains that avalanches may occur in the days due to wind and snowfall.

– In the coming days, it also seems to be more mild air over large parts of the mountains, which makes it spring conditions. Then it is quite typical that the avalanche danger switches when it gets the hottest in the days. The snow gets wet, and if water comes in under it it becomes quite weak. Where it is steep, it can start to collapse, he says.

However, temperature changes are Nothing new during this period – and the avalanche danger seems to be similar in previous years. At the same time, there are also other dangers in the mountains in the spring heat.

Petter Palmgren Warns about the suspension of snow that occur during the winter and that will be unstable in the spring.

– It’s like a big « cap » in the mountains where it’s steep. They are formed during the winter, and in the spring they become weaker. Everyone (suspension drives, red note) will disappear when it is summer, so sometime until then they will collapse, he says.

The risk is that someone is on the « cap » when it collapses. He explains that such accidents are recurring.

– It may be in steep terrain, but also at the edge of, for example, a stream, he says, urging people to look at maps where there are streams and slopes that can be obscured by the snow.

At present, all six stations that measure the avalanche danger have issued moderate risk to the area. The avalanche forecast urges people to avoid terrain that is steeper than 30 degrees.

Read more:

Snow shortage in the mountains: « Never seen anything like it »