Context:
The operational evaluation of mixed avalanches and in particular their aerosol phase remains a challenge because of their complexity and of the lack of directly accessible tools. The development of a dedicated module associated with the RAMMS reference software is an opportunity to test it on different real cases for already conclusive results. For example, it helped to analyze the impact on the very old bottom station of the Plan Cardinal Chairlift at Val Cenis in January 2018.

Work provided by Engineerisk:

• - While this chairlift bottom station was outside any known avalanche zone, a first analysis with the classic version of Ramms has already shown the possibility of an over-turning trajectory from the other side of the main avalanche system.
• - All visible damages have been recorded and georeferenced.
• - In a cautious manner, given the state of development of the aerosol module, different starting hypotheses and conditions are tested in the range of possible parameters (by reference to the calibrationset on different avalanches by the SLF team).

Contrary to the initial intuitive analysis on site, this work showed the possibility of a new scenario, not yet known and which puts the site behavior under a new perspective.

ValCenis Large



ValCenis Zoom

Case study