Every winter season, the dissemination of snow conditions and avalanche danger begins. The sources are:
- Nivology reports: they inform about the stability and distribution of the snowpack
- Avalanche danger bulletins: once there is enough snow, the bulletin is issued from Monday to Saturday.
Within the Bulletin, the degree of avalanche danger is indicated with icons and explanatory text, based on a scale ranging from very strong (5) to weak (1); the most dangerous orientations and elevations, as well as the size of the expected avalanches.
Additional information: InfoGruixNEU
InfoGruixNEU daily represents, with a graph, the snow depth on the ground for 8 points in the Pyrenees located above 2,000 meters. It shows whether snowfall is normal, excessive, or deficient. This service starts in October and ends on June 15.
Between 250 and 300 avalanches per season
- Catalonia has 1,300 km² of avalanche-prone terrain and between 250 and 300 avalanches are recorded per season.
- On average, between 1 and 2 people die in avalanches each year, most commonly in slab avalanches during backcountry skiing.
- In over 70% of cases, the same person involved is the one who triggered the avalanche. That’s why it is recommended to follow safety guidelines.
- During the winter season 2023-2024, 3 avalanche accidents were recorded between January and March, distributed in the Ter-Freser and Aran Franja Nord de la Pallaresa sectors. One of these accidents resulted in a fatality.
Avalanche prediction and monitoring system
The Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia carries out local avalanche predictions for four ski resorts managed by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC).