Avalanche
A backcountry skiing excursion in Austria’s Ötztal Alps near the famous Sölden ski resort turned deadly Monday morning, March 24, when an avalanche swept three members of a six-person group over rocky terrain, burying two of them in a crevasse. Both were killed, while the third survived with minor injuries.
According to the Tyrolean police (Landespolizei Tirol), the group, led by a mountain guide, was ascending near the Schalfkogel peak, which reaches 3,537 meters (11,608 feet), when a small slab avalanche released at around 2,840 meters (9,320 feet). The snow slide carried three skiers approximately 50 meters (164 feet) down a steep, rocky slope before depositing two of them into a deep crevasse on the Gurgler Ferner glacier. The third skier, who was only partially buried, managed to call for help.
Rescue teams, including the alpine police, mountain rescue units, avalanche search dogs, and three helicopters, responded swiftly. One skier was airlifted to a hospital in Zams with unspecified injuries, while the other two—identified as a 58-year-old and a 60-year-old—were recovered lifeless from the crevasse.
Avalanche experts of Lawinenreport, the avalanche bulletin for Austria and South Tyrol, Italy, determined that the slide was triggered by an “old snow problem.” The weak layers beneath the snowpack had developed over prolonged dry spells following minor snowfall events in February, creating an unstable base for the wind-transported snow that accumulated after March 10. Investigators found that the avalanche, though small in size (approximately 52 feet wide and 410 feet long), had enough force to drag the skiers over exposed rock and into the crevasse.
“The accident avalanche is a small snow plough avalanche (size 1). The maximum width is 16 meters, the avalanche length is 125 meters. The break is located at 2,840m and is between 30 centimeters and 60 centimeters deep. The average thickness is 45 centimeters. The slope has an inclination of 35° in the area of the upper ascent track and is oriented to the east. In the fall line of the avalanche there is a rock ledge, at the avalanche cone also an approximately 6-meter deep crevasse, into which two people were swept and totally buried.”
— Lawinenreport
The backcountry skiers had set out from the Langtalereckhütte hut and were en route to the Martin Busch Hut when the accident occurred. The avalanche struck while they were following safety protocols, maintaining spacing between group members during the ascent.
The incident underscores the persistent dangers posed by weak snow layers in the high Alps, even in late-season conditions. For an indepth analysis of the avalanche and snow conditions, visit Lawinenreport.
