Michael Stadler is the new chairman of the Schliersee Avalanche Commission.
We talked to the householder about why it is sometimes better to break off a ski tour just before the summit.
Schliersee - Michael Stadler is the new chairman of the Schliersee Avalanche Commission.
The 29-year-old is following in big footsteps: He is the successor to Walter Alkofer, who died in April and held the office for half a century.
We talked to Haushamer, who works as a digital business manager in the building materials trade, about his voluntary work, the assessment of snow - and about why it is sometimes better to break off a ski tour shortly before the summit.
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Mr. Stadler, how do you actually assess the risk of an avalanche?
We examine the structure of the snowpack.
There is a standardized procedure for this, which includes the small block test, among other things.
To do this, you dig an approximately 40 centimeter by 40 centimeter block out of the snow cover.
Tap it several times at three different intensities to see at what intensity it breaks.
In addition, one examines the break point: What does it look like?
At what height did the block break?
In a second step, an area of the snow cover is dug up to the ground.
Then you check layer by layer.
What degrees of hardness do the individual layers have?
How is the humidity of the individual layers?
Like the crystal grain?
Many aspects are included in the assessment.
Sounds like science ...
(laughs) For those who do this full-time, it's also a science.
In order to be able to assess the avalanche situation, you have to attend regular training courses.
Where did you get your know-how from?
I am an ambitious ski tourer, which is why I have many points of contact with the subject of avalanches.
As a ski tourer you should be able to judge the slopes for yourself.
There are courses for this, for example from the German Alpine Association.
It was through this private interest that I came to the avalanche commission.
However, for this office you have to take a basic course from the Bavarian Avalanche Warning Service.
And ultimately to be appointed by the local council.
When does the avalanche commission season begin?
The season starts with the first snowfall.
Even in autumn, when the ground is not frozen and half a meter of snow has fallen, slides can occur.
The high season is January, February and March.
At the end of the season, we clarify what needs to be done with the forestry office and road maintenance department: Where did the trees uproot?
Where do we need avalanche barriers?
Ultimately, however, we are only making recommendations.
Where do you get the time for your volunteer work from?
First of all, I'm lucky that I work a lot in the home office and can schedule my appointments myself.
Should I ever have to be in the office, I have two deputies and other commission members who then assess the danger.
How often does the avalanche commission have to go up the mountain to assess the situation?
That depends on how quickly the weather changes.
But even when the weather is stable, we have to check the snow cover regularly.
Because it is not unchanged there.
Processes are constantly taking place in it.
In which weather is it particularly dangerous?
Basically there are some unfavorable weather conditions which, in combination, increase the risk of an avalanche.
For example, it can be particularly dangerous when frost leads to coarse snow crystals on the surface and these are then covered by snow that has been transported by the wind.
The frost leads to a weak layer that does not bond with the transported snow.
If you then add weight, such as that of a ski tourer, slab avalanches are often the result.
Is the danger situation always clear?
There is no such thing as one hundred percent security.
To do this, you would have to dig up the entire slope.
But we always only look at excerpts.
This is precisely why it is important to exercise caution before forbearance.
The decision to make a recommendation, for example to close the Spitzingstrasse or the Trautweinweg from the Spitzingsattel to the Upper Firstalm, is never made by the chairman alone.
That is always a majority decision of the avalanche commission.
Have you ever been caught in an avalanche yourself?
Fortunately not yet.
But I had to cancel some tours shortly before the summit because I was too late.
The sun's rays play an important role here, among other things.
What should you do if you get caught in an avalanche?
There is no standard behavior.
If you have an airbag backpack with you, you should of course pull the airbag.
The important thing is to have a beeper so that you can be found.
And a shovel and probe to help others.
Ultimately, it is important to adjust your behavior in advance so that you do not trigger an avalanche in the first place.
Is it always your own fault?
In fact, you can get caught in an avalanche because you misjudged the situation.
But of course this can also happen through no fault of our own.
Sometimes a deer pass up the slope is enough to set off an avalanche.
Other ski tourers can also trigger one.
Last year, many ski tourers were out because there were no piste operations due to the pandemic. What do you expect for this winter?
Two scenarios are conceivable: that ski tourers who have learned to ski touring on the slopes now dare to go into the terrain and may misjudge the situation.
Or that they stay on the slopes and there are conflicts with skiers because the tourers are not used to oncoming traffic.