Lawinenunfall

We know that things sometimes go wrong on the mountain. We prepare for accidents by attending courses, practicing rescue techniques and having the right equipment with us. But how do you prepare for what comes after the accident?

The Austrian Society for Snow and Avalanches (ÖGSL) is organizing an open Zoom workshop on Monday, 29. 11. 2021, at 19:00 on the subject of first aid in avalanche accidents with Manuel Genswein.

The Working Group of Austrian Avalanche Warning Services has published its seasonal report for winter 2019/20. The report not only contains statistical evaluations of the past avalanche winter, but also many detailed and impressively illustrated analyses of specific accidental avalanches. In addition to the LWDs of the Austrian federal states, the SLF and the LWD South Tyrol are also represented with guest contributions.

On December 15, a medium-sized slab avalanche was triggered on the Pirchkogel in the Stubai Alps. No one involved came to any harm. The skiers hit an area with a thin layer of fresh snow and were thus able to initiate the break, which ultimately spread over a large area in the weak layer.

The Tyrolean clinics have informed the ORF that heart-lung machines are in short supply. These are also repeatedly used to treat avalanche victims. At present, the clinics cannot guarantee that they will have enough equipment in the event of a serious avalanche accident with one or even several buried victims.

Peter Höller, avalanche expert at the BFW in Innsbruck, has analyzed accident statistics from the Austrian Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety. He found that fatal avalanches in the variant area close to ski resorts are often due to new and drift snow problems, while there are proportionately more fatal accidents on classic ski tours with old snow problems.

The International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW) brings together scientists and practitioners from a wide range of snow-related fields every two years. New findings and research results are presented in various thematic blocks - so-called sessions. We break the whole thing down into more or less digestible morsels and summarize the sessions of the ISSW2018 for you every two weeks.

The Working Group of Austrian Avalanche Warning Services has published its seasonal report for winter 2018/19. As always, the report not only contains statistical evaluations of the past avalanche winter, but also many detailed and impressively illustrated analyses of specific accidental avalanches. In addition to the LWDs of the Austrian federal states, the SLF and the LWD South Tyrol are also represented with guest contributions.

The SLF is making key data on accidents from the current season more easily accessible in a new online tool. All avalanche accidents in which one or more people were swept away are displayed on a zoomable map.

Avalanches are a guarantee for attention on the skiing Internet. Hardly anything gets as many likes and views as a spectacular helmet camera video of a descent where everything goes just right. If such videos are posted with honest reflections on the question "what went wrong?", they are often very instructive and valuable. However, if the line between self-reflection and self-promotion becomes blurred, you can be a little irritated. A commentary by Sven Rauber.

The Working Group of Austrian Avalanche Warning Services has published its seasonal report for winter 2017/18. As always, the report not only contains statistical evaluations of the past avalanche winter, but also many detailed and impressively illustrated analyses of specific accidental avalanches. In addition to the LWDs of the Austrian federal states, the SLF and the LWD South Tyrol are also represented with guest contributions. New this year: print version available from the Alpine Club store.

When it comes to snow, there are and have been various trends. All of them have brought progress and have given way to new trends. Meanwhile, one of them has been stuck in its own gears for years. A plea to finally take a common path out of this one.