WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF

Research 26.05.2026

Permafrost – the thin ice of current knowledge

What role do thawing permafrost and melting glaciers play in rock slope failures? Permafrost researcher Robert Kenner gives a summary.

Research 15.04.2026

Avalanches: when the house of cards collapses

Weak layers in snow remain a mystery. For a new SLF study, controlled fractures of these layers were triggered in the laboratory.

Research 08.04.2026

How forests affect snow cover

Forest, sunshine and slope position all affect when snow melts. The SLF has conducted the first large-scale study into these interactions.

Research 12.03.2026

Measuring snow in Davos – day by day, year by year

Almost 90 years of snow data – made possible by the SLF's doctoral students.

Research for people and the environment in a changing world ¶

Institutional

29.05.2026

SLF head Jürg Schweizer is retiring. In this interview, he discusses his career highlights and why he plans to continue researching.

Snow and avalanches

28.05.2026

Even small avalanches can be deadly – many people know this, but not everyone. The initial results of a survey are in.

Institutional

22.05.2026

The ETH Board has appointed climate researcher Nadine Salzmann and forest ecologist Arthur Gessler to the WSL Directorate.

Institutional

30.04.2026

At the end of April 2026, the WSL will bid farewell to Tom Wohlgemuth, a defining figure of its Directorate.

Events

16.04.2026

Practice-oriented workshop on InSAR for natural hazard detection and monitoring. 28.9.2026, Davos. Register now.

Institutional

16.03.2026

Managing natural hazards, a new professor, two grants for research into forests in climate change: the highlights of WSL 2025.

Our experts analyze the avalanche situation.

15 April 2026