Over the last 20 years, there have been an average of 21 avalanche deaths per year in Switzerland. During the winter of 2023/24, 23 lives were cut short by avalanches, according to data published by the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (WSL) in Davos, a figure slightly above average.
At 261, the number of people caught in avalanches over the recent winter was also above the 20-year average of 220.
The deadliest winters over the last 10 years were 2014/15 (33 deaths) and 2020/21 (32 deaths).
Average comparisons across years are somewhat misleading. The number of accidents and deaths has not increased as fast as the number of people spending time in the mountains during winter. This means that people are becoming more cautious and better at avoiding death and accidents, said an expert.
Better equipment has also helped. Emergency equipment such as avalanche transceivers, shovels, avalanche probes are used by more people. In addition, avalanche airbags have improved significantly as have avalanche forecasts.
WSL has created a map showing where avalanche accidents have occurred over the last 20 years. There is also map showing avalanche deaths. These maps allow users to zoom in on specific resorts to see the most dangerous areas. Avalanche accidents tend to be clustered in particular zones, zones well worth avoiding.
Avalanche risk does not disappear at winter’s end. High altitude snow remains a risk for hikers and climbers. The latest avalanche risk report shows large areas of the Swiss Alps with low to marked risk of avalanches.
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