How to Best Survive Avalanches

When the slopes are busy, the risk for avalanches is especially high. An expert tells us which precautions to take.
How to Best Survive Avalanches
An aerial view of one of two avalanches making its way through the landscape as it hits into the Swiss ski resort of Evolene, Swiss Alps, on Feb. 22, 1999. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
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Although the standard of avalanche equipment has improved significantly over the past years, avalanches are still a major cause of injury (and even death) for winter sport enthusiasts. In the winter of 2015, over 100 people died in avalanche accidents in the Alps alone. We talk to Benjamin Zweifel, from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research, to find out what the main causes of avalanches are and how people can best protect themselves.

ResearchGate: Are the number of avalanches in the alps increasing?

Benjamin Zweifel: Well, to start off with, there isn’t really an official record of the number of avalanches in the Alps, or in any other regions. Avalanches are usually only registered if they cause damage to people or infrastructure in some way. Avalanches that happen in the mountains, far away from people, are usually not registered. On the basis of the number of accidents that we have recorded, I'd say the number of avalanches has remained roughly the same. I also don’t see any reason for this number to increase, as avalanches depend far more on the seasonal development of the snowpack rather than on climate change.

RG: Can we do anything to reduce the number of avalanche accidents?

Zweifel: Around 90 percent of avalanches in which people are harmed are caused by human activity. If preventative measures were used, many avalanches would be avoided. The most important thing people need to do is check the weather and avalanche risk and follow the recommendations of the European Avalanche Warning Service.

Avalanche dog Aico searches for a person buried by snow during a training on Jan. 17, 2013, near the Alpspitze Mountain in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AFP/Getty Images)
Avalanche dog Aico searches for a person buried by snow during a training on Jan. 17, 2013, near the Alpspitze Mountain in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany. Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AFP/Getty Images
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