It was when Tyler Curtis and his colleague were out doing field observations for the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s avalanche forecasts after last week’s storm that they found the traces of the avalanches on Giriffjället.
– That mountain has a terrain that often produces avalanches during the season, so it was expected that there were several avalanches, but it is not often that we observe such large avalanches in the Swedish mountains. I’ve lived in Kittelfjäll for ten years and it’s the second time I’ve seen such a large avalanche, says Tyler Curtis.
“Gains great respect”
The avalanche, which they judge to be a size 4, had broken several smaller trees. Had there been more forest, buildings or other objects nearby, the avalanche could have caused more damage.
Although the avalanche risk is low on Girifjället right now, Tyler Curtis predicts that there will be more in the same place later this winter, as last week’s avalanche left an even snow surface behind.
– We probably won’t see an avalanche of the same size, but I can almost certainly say that there will be another avalanche on the same slope this winter.