Avalanches triggered by heavy snowfall in the European Alps have resulted in multiple fatalities and disruptions over the weekend. A train was derailed by a snow slide in Switzerland on Monday, and roads and villages around Mont Blanc were closed or evacuated.
Avalanche Conditions and Incidents
Large areas of the western Alps remain at high risk of avalanches, with alerts reaching the highest level, category 5. Swiss police reported that a train derailment caused by an avalanche near Goppenstein injured five people.
The incident in Switzerland followed a series of deadly avalanches in the Alps involving skiers in recent days. On Friday, two Britons were among three skiers killed in an avalanche in Val d’Isère, France, while skiing with an instructor. The instructor was uninjured and tested negative for drugs and alcohol. Another Briton sustained minor injuries in the same incident.
On Sunday, two skiers died in an avalanche on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, in the Couloir Vesses area near Courmayeur.
Record Snowfall and Risk Levels
These incidents come after a week in which 13 off-piste skiers, climbers, and hikers died in the Italian mountains, including 10 fatalities in avalanches. Alpine Rescue reported the deaths occurred during the week ending February 8, attributing them to an exceptionally unstable snowpack.
Recent storms and winds have created risky conditions across the Alpine region, with 60cm to 100cm of snow deposited last week and a further 40-50cm predicted in some areas on Monday. Federico Catania, a spokesperson for Italy’s Alpine Rescue Corps, explained that even the passage of a single skier can be enough to trigger an avalanche under current conditions.
Grade 5 avalanche risk, categorized as “extraordinary” and rare, indicates the possibility of “numerous very large and extremely large natural avalanches” that could threaten valley roads and settlements. Skiers and mountaineers are advised to avoid all but open and unthreatened slopes under these conditions.
The current high-risk levels are due to a combination of heavy snowfall, high winds, and an unstable snowpack resulting from lean snow conditions earlier in the season. Luc Nicolino, slopes manager at La Plagne, described the snowpack as a “mille-feuille with many hidden, fragile layers.”
Personal Account of Near Miss
Daniel Matthews, an adventure skier, shared his experience of being caught in an avalanche in the French Alps on Friday. He was buried for eight minutes after a couloir collapsed, but was dug out by his companions. Matthews acknowledged making a “very bad decision” to ski Skimans Couloir in Tignes and emphasized the importance of heeding warning signs.
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