Extreme Caution Urged As More Snow Falls on Unstable Base 28th January 2021 In Switzerland and parts of France the avalanche risk is now Level 5 – ‘Very High’. The snowpack is ‘extremely unstable’ and the risk will be ‘critical’ in places by Friday. Already in Switzerland this winter 16 people have died in avalanches. There have been further fatalities and avalanches in France. UPDATED UPDATED: The avalanche danger level has been raised to Level 5 in some parts of the Alps as the snow continues to fall. It is the highest level on the scale. A walker was buried under 2.5m of snow in