13 Year Old Boy is Latest Avalanche Fatality
The boy, from the Czech Republic, was skiing off piste in the Austrian resort of Bad Gastein.
He was with a friend of similar age when he triggered the snow slide.
It was 50m wide and carried the boy 10m into the barrier.
Eyewitnesses called the emergency services, and rescue crews were on site within minutes.
He was declared dead at the scene despite the efforts of the rescue services to revive him.
The incident happened in open terrain above the marked ski runs, where avalanche barriers prevent snow slides from hitting the pistes.
Salzburg public prosecutors have opened an investigation into the accident.
The mountain rescue chief in central Austria, Gerhard Kremser, has urged people to exercise caution especially above the tree line.
Sportgastein, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Last weekend six people died in the French Alps, one in Austria and another in Italy.
On Tuesday as ex-Olympic snowboarder, Ueli Kestenholz, died in an avalanche in Switzerland and the young Czech boy has taken the toll to ten.
There have been numerous other incidents with the people rescued, including four people who were skiing on a blue run in St Foy in France when an avalanche swept across the piste.
It was set off by an off-piste skier on a slope above who has handed himself in to the ski patrol.
We have details of all the incident on this rolling blog post that we have been updating throughout the week:
All the deaths and incidents came despite alerts from the weather service of a high risk of avalanches and warnings against off-piste skiing.
The danger level has now reduced in many areas, but there is still a Level 3 risk (considerable) in many areas.
Level 3, on a scale of 5, is the level that sees the highest number of fatalities as people believe it to be safe when it is often not.
“What should be noted after the high number of deaths and those caught in avalanches in the Alps this week is the ‘apparently’ random nature of the incidents,” said PlanetSKI editor, James Cove.
“We have seen a 50 year old British holiday skier, a ski patroller, an Olympic medalist, a ski tourer, a 13 year old boy, men and women, plus a seasonal worker caught.
“However, avalanches do not happen randomly – a particular set of scientific circumstances trigger them, so the key thing for people is to understand what may set off an avalanche and avoid those situations.
“Education and knowledge are key.
“99% of avalanche deaths are avoidable, by following the basic rules and safety advice from the authorities.”
Here’s the danger level in Switzerland for Thursday 15th January.
Avalanche danger in Switzerland, Thursday 15th January. Image c/o Swiss Avalanche Institute, SLF.
The weather in most of the Alps has stabilised this week, with just a dusting of fresh snow and generally warm temperatures.
A large snowstorm is set to hit the southern Alps this weekend which will bring increased danger of avalanche.
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