• Hundreds of “whumpfs” reported since Jan 10, 2026, indicating widespread weak snow layers. • Whumpfs are sudden fractures that can quickly spread across terrain, risking avalanches. • Remote triggering events confirm that cracks can reach steep slopes and unleash avalanches. • The rapid propagation challenges existing avalanche prediction models and safety protocols. • WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) monitors and alerts skiers to danger. • Skiers and backcountry users must heed warnings and avoid high-risk areas.
Article Summaries:
- Since 10 January 2026, the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) has received reports of hundreds of “whumpfs” (i.e., sounds indicating a collapse in the snowpack) and of remote triggering events-unmistakable signs of a critical avalanche situation involving a weak snowpack. A whumpf is where snow sports enthusiasts cause a fracture in a weak layer of the snow, which within seconds propagates as a crack across the terrain. If the crack reaches steep terrain, this may trigger an avalanche-a remote triggering event.
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