Over the New Year weekend there have been eight deaths due to Avalanches in the Swiss Alps. In Berner Oberland (Diemtigtal) seven people died and more were injured when an Avalanche caught one group of skiers. A group including a doctor from the Helicopter rescue service (Rega) went to assist those caught in this Avalanche and a second slide came down on top of them.
In a second incident a group of ski tourers were caught in an Avalanche in Valais (Bruson). Here one person was killed and another brought to hospital suffering from hypothermia.
Both groups had experienced ski tourers and/or mountain guides with them when the Avalanches struck. It also appears that the groups were suitably equipped with Avalanche Safety equipment. It is even rumoured that the group in Valais were using ABS backpacks.
This is a lesson that even when you do things right going out of bounds is dangerous. Going out without any safety equipment and/or no training in reducing Avalanche risk is just plain stupid. Even riding just beside the piste in a ski area does not guarantee safety. On Friday 1st January a group of two adults and three children set off an Avalanche while riding near a ski piste in Valais. The Avalanche the set off crossed onto one of the ski pistes in the resort!!! These people are now facing a citation from the local police for negligently endangering lives on the ski piste.
The Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Safety (SLF) issues a National Avalanche Bulletin and a Hazard Map every evening at about 6pm. This is updated the following morning at about 8am by Regional Avalanche Bulletins (only Available in German and French). These should be studied in detail along with the weekly development in snow conditions and weather when planning any trips into uncontrolled areas.
If you are unsure about Avalanche safety, then an Avalanche course is something you should do. This will cover the basics of understanding Avalanche risk, teach you how to understand the Avalanche bulletins and show you how to use your Avalanche Transceiver to search for buried victims. The course will also cover the use of an Avalanche Probe and how to safely dig someone out of the Avalanche debris. Avalanche courses are run by mountain guides in nearly every ski resort in Switzerland. Contact your local mountain guides office for more details. It is also worth knowing that ski instructors are in general NOT mountain guides!
Some books that make for excellent reading if you are planning on leaving controlled ski areas are 3×3 by Werner Munter and The Powder Guide by Tobias Kurzeder. Both books cover the building blocks of Avalanches, how to choose safe routes, how to manage the risk using the 3×3 filter method and the reduction method and also information on what to do should your group be unlucky enough to experience an Avalanche.
Its also well worth supporting Rega if you intend spending any time in the mountains.
Be safe out there.
