More Snow in the Alps But Skiers Die in Avalanches
A second heavy snowstorm in five days has been hitting the Alps in the past 24 hours, meaning an increasing number of ski areas are reporting at least 50cm and some more than a metre of snowfall now from this storm and the previous one at the end of last week.
While good news for ski area bases in the longer term, all the snow has been closing slopes and in some cases access roads and sending avalanche danger up to levels 3 (“Considerable”) and 4 (“High”) on the scale to a maximum of 5. Austria’s Tirol region is at level 4.
Repeated studies have shown the highest level of avalanche accidents happen with danger levels set at 3 and people thinking they can still risk it.
Five ski tourers travelling with a guide died in an avalanche near Spiss on the Austria/Swiss border.
Tirol reports it has had a record number of avalanche operations with around 100 avalanche incidents and 70 missions with 520 helpers (490 mountain rescuers and 30 alpine police officers) in three days. All emergency forces are still on standby around the clock.
“Despite avalanche warning level 3, the beautiful weather and the snow situation had ensured that very many were outside the secured slopes or even on ski tours. But for tours and variant descents in the free ski area it needs a lot of experience and above all information,” a Tirol spokesperson commented.
Five more skiers were reported to have been buried but all rescued uninjured when an avalanche crossed a piste at the ski resort of Solden.
Tirol’s avalanche warning service provides up-to-the-minute information on numerous platforms. Large parts of the Tirol map of the avalanche warning service are coloured red or orange at present.
This corresponds to level 3 and 4 – considerable or even great danger. Currently danger level is 4 – high.
