The foundation of the SLF took place in 1942, on the Weissfluhjoch above Davos. This followed on from the first snow experiments in Davos in 1936.
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Avalanche warning signs are one way of alerting skiers to dangers.
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Measuring snow resistance power on the Weissfluhjoch in 1953.
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Avalanche barriers help keep the white peril at bay.
(Keystone/Michael Kupferschmidt)
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Snow research, seen here in 1953, and practical support for avalanche warning were stepped up after the extreme winter of 1950/1 claimed many lives.
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A researcher weighs a snow sample in profile on the experimentation field below the Weissfluhjoch.
(Keystone/Alessandro Della Bella)
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Reading a barograph on the Weissfluhjoch.
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Explosives can be detonated to preempt an avalanche if risks are high.
(Keystone/Dietmar Stiplovsek)
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Avalanches can reach speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour.
(Keystone/Alessandro della Valle)
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At the beginning, the principal fields of research were snowpack development, snow mechanics and avalanche formation, and the crystalline structure and metamorphosis of snow.
(Keystone/Photopress/Margrit Bäumlin)
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Putting a snow sample under the microscope.
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Researchers examine a metre-high snow layer.
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Snow research has become high-tech, here adjusting a sensor inside the wind channel.
(Keystone/Alessandro Della Bella)
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Canadian hailstones arrive and are examined at the SLF.
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An SLF employee analyses layers of snow which have accumulated in front of a window.
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The power of an avalanche, as seen in this undated photo. A European hazard scale for avalanche risk was agreed in 1993.
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Avalanche bulletins, which are produced twice a day during the winter season, are a core SLF task.
(Keystone/Alessandro Della Bella)
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Preparing a bulletin in 1990, 45 years after responsibility for the bulletins was first transferred to the SLF from the army.
(Keystone/Arno Balzarini)
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Two researchers dig out what is called a "sliding block" of snow which helps test for avalanches.
(Keystone/Alessandro Della Bella)
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Celebrating 75 years of looking into snow and avalanches.
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When the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) in Davos opened its doors, snow research was in its infancy. Now it’s a high-tech domain and much more is known about avalanche risk.
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