Overview
- Eight people were killed in Austria on January 17, including four from a group of seven off-piste skiers in Pongau, a separate ski tourer in the same area, and three Czech skiers in Styria’s Murtal district.
- In Valais, Switzerland, a January 14 off-piste avalanche in Thyon (Mont Carré) carried two skiers; a 42-year-old French man was rescued and flown to Sion but died the next day.
- On January 15 near Pointe de Chemo in Chamoson, an avalanche swept three ski tourers, killing a 42-year-old man and injuring a 41-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman who were airlifted to hospitals in Bern and Sion.
- Valais prosecutors have opened investigations into the Swiss accidents to determine the circumstances of the events.
- Rescue coordinators report roughly twenty avalanche-related interventions in Valais since the start of the year, with OCVS teams supported by Air-Glaciers and Air Zermatt as SLF flags a critical risk level.