Land surfaces in southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, totally devoid of vegetation, are actively sculptured by winds that often reach velocities of more than 100 km/h. Deflation and abrasion are thus key factors in the process of slope formation. Water erosion, active only during the short summer period, is limited to a few localities. Experiments in a wind tunnel proved that ventifacts in the Dry Valleys can be formed within a few decades or, at most, a few centuries. Yearly abrasion rates average a few millimeters. Considerable variability is caused by the different exposures of the ventifacts within the microrelief and by varying rock resistance. The importance of ice crystals (snow) as an abrasive agent should not be overestimated. (The translation is by William Ban of the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.)