whumpf

English

Etymology

From whump +‎ -f.

Interjection

whumpf

1. A dull, soft sound as of something hollow collapsing.

Noun

whumpf (plural whumpfs)

1. (snow sports) The collapsing of a weak part of the snowpack, accompanied by a whumpf noise and potentially leading to an avalanche.

Verb

whumpf (third-person singular simple present whumpfs, present participle whumpfing, simple past and past participle whumpfed)

1. (snow sports, intransitive) Of snow: to collapse in this manner.
   • 2004, Craig Connally, The Mountaineering Handbook, page 48:

     Avoid convex surfaces, especially on lee ridges; this is where slab avalanches most frequently start. If you observe settling or whumpfing of snow as you travel on it, or if the surface cracks and the cracks spread, […]

   • 1999, Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Annual Report (page 10)

     Even by the end of the month observers in the Northern and Central Mountains were still reporting collapsing and "whumpfing" snow; conditions that typically disappear in February.