Reports from 65 years of snow and avalanche research

21.08.2025 | Ellen Knappe (Lib4RI), André Hoffmann (Lib4RI) and Roman Oester (SLF) | SLF News

Lib4RI, the library of the four research institutions of the ETH Domain, has digitized and published over 700 SLF reports.

This text was automatically translated.

Drawing of a snow profile from the first internal report, ‘Gutachten über einen Schneebeobachtungsdienst und die Möglichkeit der künstlichen Lawinenauslösung an der Süd-Ost-Flanke des Piz Muntatsch’, 1938.

Lib4RI has completed the digitization of more than 700 historical snow and avalanche reports from the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF. These reports, published between 1938 and 2005, document decades of avalanche observations and snow research by researchers from Switzerland and around the world. These reports are now accessible to all in the institutional repository DORA.

The collection ranges from early measurements of the snowpack to detailed reports on major avalanche events and offers an insight into both the history of snow science and the development of safety measures in alpine regions.

Some scientific highlights from the reports:

As early as the 1940s, researchers intensively studied the crystal plasticity of snow and developed new experimental approaches to better understand the complex deformation behavior of snow (Internal Report No. 24 "Kristallplastische Vorgänge im Schneeaggregat II").
Historical avalanche events, such as the devastating avalanche of 1958/59 in Iran, led to increased international cooperation and improved protection measures (Internal Report No. 332 "Protection of Highways against snow hazards in Iran. 1st of February to 30th of April 1960").
Experiments with avalanche barriers and reforestation in alpine regions in the 1960s provided important insights into the protection of mountain forest areas and their contribution to avalanche prevention (Internal Report No. 445 "Programmvorschläge zum Forschungsprojekt "Aufforstung im Lawinengebiet". (Versuchsgebiet Stillberg, Dischmatal-Davos)" and internal report no. 484 "Allgemeines Programm zum Forschungsprojekt "Stillberg" über den Lawinenschutz in Aufforstungen").
At the end of the 1980s, the introduction of Denoth devices made it possible to measure snow moisture much more accurately than manual tests (Internal Report No. 667 "Schneefeuchtigkeit mit dem Denoth-Gerät im Vergleich mit dem Handtest, Messungen 1989, 1990").
Research into improving safety during avalanche rescues in the 1990s led to the development and testing of the ABS avalanche airbag, which demonstrably reduces the risk of burial (Internal Report No. 686 "Untersuchungen über die Wirkung des Lawinenballons. Bericht Versuche Winter 1994/1995").

The digitization and publication of these historical research results on DORA preserves valuable scientific heritage and promotes future progress in avalanche research and safety in the Alps.

Topographical map showing avalanche paths on a mountainside. Contour lines indicate elevation, while thick arrows show the direction of the avalanches. — Drawing of various avalanche paths from the internal report ‘Vorschläge zur Verhütung von Lawinenschäden am Osthang des Monteluna im Taminatal’, 1944

Above: Deflection wall at the avalanche end of the barrack village under construction in 1954. Below: Snow clearance in the avalanche deposit area in 1955 with several people and buildings in the background. — Photos from the internal report ‘Gutachten über Lawinenschutzmassnahmen auf der Baustelle Moiry des Forces Motrices de la Gougra SA. Zusammenfassung der Vorschläge vom Dezember 1953 bis Mai 1955’, 1955

A collage of four black-and-white photos shows snow-covered mountains. Two of the pictures show the silhouette of a person pointing, which suggests controlled avalanches. — Shooting an avalanche with a mortar. Source: ‘Lawinenkurse der Armee 15.1. bis 9.3.1940. Fotosammlung, Aufnahmen von Oblt. Weber, Baden’, 1940

Links ¶

All internal SLF reports on DORA

Contact ¶

SLF Media Office

Phone +41 81 417 01 90
E-mail: medien(at)slf.ch

Copyright ¶

WSL and SLF provide image and sound material free of charge for use in press releases in connection with this media release. The use of this material in image, sound and/or video databases and the sale of the material by third parties is not permitted.

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