Technical Handbook “Wind Drift Control Structures in Mountainous Areas”

MOTS-CLEF : Neige, vent, avalanche, ouvrage a vent, barriere a neige, vire-vent, toit-buse. ABSTRACT: In mountainous areas, drifting snow generates a heterogeneous distribution of the snow : snow is eroded in high wind areas and deposited in sheltered areas such as avalanches starting zones. Wind is also responsible of snow removal on ski slopes, snowdrift formation on roads and around buildings, cornices and wind slabs formation, and structural measures burial and overload in starting zone. To reduce these inconvenient, wind drift control structures have been designed for more than a century in order to control drifting snow flux and ensuring the deposition away from the consid- ered area. In avalanches starting zone areas different solutions such as snow fences, jet roofs, wind baffles are possible. They are introduced in a technical handbook written by IRSTEA (National Re- search Institute of Science and technology for Environment and Agriculture) and RTM (The Service for the Restoration of Mountain Lands - ONF National Forests Office). This handbook aims at describ- ing the wind drift control structures with examples from the French Alps and Pyrenees, the design and the structural maintenance work. This guide, funded by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy (MEDDE) will be downloadable at the end of 2013 on www.avalanches.fr website.