The avalanche danger scale — how to read a bulletin
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The five levels
Bulletins are issued by national avalanche services: TOPR in the Tatras, EAWS across the Alps, Varsom in Norway. The scale is identical, so understanding it once works everywhere.
| 1 — low | Snowpack generally well bonded. Avalanches possible only under heavy load on extremely steep terrain. |
| 2 — moderate | Moderately bonded on steep slopes. Avalanches mainly under heavy load. The level that kills most people — because it sounds safe. |
| 3 — considerable | Poorly to moderately bonded. Avalanches possible under light load, meaning the weight of a single skier. Most fatalities happen at level 3. |
| 4 — high | Poorly bonded on most slopes. Avalanches likely under light load; large natural releases possible. |
| 5 — very high | Exceptional situation. Numerous large natural avalanches, including on moderate terrain. Going into the mountains is off the table. |
Pay attention to level 3. Statistically it kills the most people, because the terrain still looks inviting while triggering a slide takes only the weight of one person.
What the scale does not tell you
The level applies to a region, not to a specific slope. Within one level 3 there are slopes that are entirely safe and slopes where a single step is enough.
- A bulletin always states the critical aspect and altitude — more important than the number itself.
- Gradients above 30 degrees are the threshold at which slab avalanches occur at all.
- Fresh wind redistributes snow into pillows on lee slopes — the most common trigger point.
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Minimum equipment
Transceiver, probe and shovel form an inseparable set. A transceiver without a shovel is useless — digging someone out from a metre of avalanche debris by hand is physically impossible within a survivable window.
Survival rates fall sharply after 15 minutes of burial. That defines the real time a group has — outside help will not arrive in time.
Emergency number in the Alps and Poland: 112. In the Tatras also TOPR: +48 601 100 300.