25.08.2026 | Jochen Bettzieche | SLF News
Snow, wind and avalanches: at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF near Davos, a special research station measures individual snowflakes and tracks how the wind transports them. The findings improve avalanche forecasting and snow modelling, and help with planning photovoltaic systems in high-altitude mountain areas.
- How wind shapes snow: A unique measuring station near Davos reveals how the wind transports snow and alters the snowpack.
- The sound of snowflakes: Researchers measure individual snowflakes using microphones and lasers.
- From Davos to the world: The measurement data is fed into computer models and made available worldwide – for avalanche warning services, research and the planning of solar power installations in mountainous areas.
“Here at Tschuggen, we measure individual snowflakes in winter,” says Michael Lehning, head of the SLF’s Snow Processes research group and professor for Cryospheric Sciences at EPFL. Lehning is standing just above the Hotel Tschuggen near Davos, with the road to the Flüela Pass passing less than a hundred metres away. It is right here that the SLF’s electronics workshop has set up its measuring station. Among other things, the station collects data on how the wind redistributes – or transports – snow, creating a structured snow surface. The data is fed into computer models, which apply the results from this site to other locations in the Alps without the need for numerous detailed measurements, which would be complicated and time-consuming. Such model simulations are relevant to a wide range of users, from avalanche warning services to planning consultancies that design photovoltaic systems in high-alpine terrain.
Snowflakes produce sounds ¶
The major challenge was finding a suitable location for the measuring station, explains Lehning. “The wind needs a certain stretch of terrain, or ‘fetch’, over which it can reach equilibrium with the snow particles in the air.” At Tschuggen he found what he was looking for. The terrain is flat, but is flanked by hillsides on either side. “The wind often blows through here,” says the researcher. Twelve sensors are attached to the measuring station, recording variables such as wind speed, temperature, incoming and ground-reflected sunlight, and much more. In that respect, it is no different from a conventional weather data system. What makes it special is the particle counter. Essentially, this is a tube with a microphone. “Whenever snowflakes hit this pipe, they produce a faint sound inside it, which can be analysed to determine exactly how much snow is being transported,” explains Lehning. Another unusual device is the laser scanner. This scans the surface of the snowpack with its light beam, identifying features such as sastrugi – streamlined ridges or grooves carved out of the snow surface by the wind. “This combined data is extremely valuable to us because it allows us to determine how energy and mass are exchanged between the snow surface and the atmosphere, and in what quantities,” says Lehning.
Twin in Central Asia ¶
The station can operate here, far from any electrical infrastructure, thanks to large photovoltaic modules that supply it with power. The system stores any surplus energy in a battery. “This is how the system generates its own electricity, even in winter,” explains Lehning. The data is transmitted by radio directly to servers at the SLF. “Those servers also receive data from a sister station in Tajikistan,” he adds. After undergoing quality control, the data is then made available to researchers and interested parties around the world.
This article first appeared in the Davoser Zeitung on 25 August 2026.
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