On Saturday, January 17th, eight backcountry tourers were killed in three separate avalanches in the Austrian Alps. The week before, 11 deaths were attributed to avalanches across the broader Alps. These totals are discomforting. According to reports regarding the Austrian incidents, the fatalities were preceded by heavy snow in the region.
Austria’s Pongau-based mountain rescue group reported that a single skier was buried midday in the Bad Hofgastein zone and was unable to be revived. The report stated that the victim’s wife, who was on scene, alerted authorities about the incident.
Several hours later, another alert came in from the nearby Finsterkopf zone. The scene on the ground was grim; four tourers were killed, one incurred serious injuries, another had mild injuries, while a seventh skier was injured.
The third incident occurred in the Pusterwald, a zone roughly 70 miles away from the other two accidents. In this case, seven tourers from the Czech Republic were on scene. Three members of the group were buried and killed, while the four remaining members were treated for minor injuries once rescue services arrived.
