Avalanche
A snowboarder was killed in an avalanche on Wednesday, January 29, at Arosa-Lenzerheide ski area in the Swiss Alps. Arosa-Lenzerheide is located in the south side of the Alps in the canton Graubünden which has been facing heightened avalanche danger following days of heavy snowfall. The Swiss Avalanche Institute (SLF) announced a Level 4 warning for Wednesday.
Shortly before noon, authorities received reports that an avalanche had struck in the Ochsatobel area of Lenzerheide, a high-alpine zone at approximately 2,100 meters (6,890 feet), outside the groomed and patrolled area. According to the police report, the snowboarder’s companion who had been riding with the victim, along with other skiers in the vicinity, immediately began a rescue effort. Emergency responders, including local search teams and avalanche specialists, arrived swiftly and located the buried snowboarder after a two-hour search in the 500-meter-long (1,640-foot) avalanche field. Despite immediate resuscitation efforts, the individual was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet released his identity.
The Graubünden cantonal police and the regional public prosecutor’s office are investigating the circumstances of the accident.
The avalanche occurred as Graubünden remained under a Level 4 (high) avalanche warning on a five-tier scale. The Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) had cautioned that three days of continuous snowfall had left large amounts of unstable snow on steep slopes, increasing the risk of spontaneous and skier-triggered slides. The avalanche risk is currently elevated for the south side of the European Alps and several avalanches were triggered in France, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria yesterday.
Lenzerheide, part of the Arosa-Lenzerheide ski resort, is a popular destination in eastern Switzerland known for its extensive ski terrain, which includes over 140 miles of slopes and world-class freeride zones. The Lenzerheide resort merged with the Arosa resort in 2014 when the Urdenbahn gondola connected the two formerly separate ski areas. Now, the combined Arosa-Lenzerheide ski area offers a total of 225 kilometers (140 miles) serviced by 43 lifts, making it the largest connected ski area in the canton Graubünden.
While the resort maintains marked and controlled runs, many skiers and snowboarders venture into unpatrolled off-piste areas, where avalanche risk is significantly higher. The avalanche occurred in an off-piste area below the Urnen chair, near the Motta restaurant in the Parpan area of the Arosa-Lenzerheide ski area. The snowboarder and his companion had ventured into terrain just below the avalanche barriers.
Authorities continue to urge caution for those venturing beyond secured ski slopes, emphasizing that conditions remain dangerous. The latest avalanche warnings and safety updates can be found at www.slf.ch.
