Fatal Late Season Avalanches in the Alps & the Rockies
10th May 2024
Last modified on May 13th, 2024
Two skiers were killed and a third survived following an avalanche in Utah. There been a fatality in Idaho. In Switzerland one person died near Kanderstag. It is unusual to have fatal avalanches at this time of the year. UPDATED
The avalanche in Switzerland happened near Lake Oeschinen in the Bernese Oberland.
Five people were caught in it.
Four people were rescued with a variety of injuries, while one person was declared dead at the scene.
The person who died was a 32-year-old French citizen.
The injured people were taken by helicopter to a local hospital.
The cantonal police are advising people that the danger of avalanches continues and people heading into the mountains should check weather forecasts and avalanche situation.
An investigation into the accident by the Regional Public Prosecutor’s Office is underway.
Here is the current avalanche risk across Switzerland.
Image c/o Swiss Avalanche Institute.
In the USA two skiers were killed in an avalanche in the backcountry near Salt Lake City in Utah.
One person managed to dig themselves out and alerted the rescue services.
Local police said the deceased were as two men, aged 32 and 23.
Their bodies have not been recovered due to the risk of further avalanches.
Next-of-kin have been informed.
The Utah Avalanche Centre said that such avalanches are rare this late in the ski season because daytime warmth typically stabilises the snowpack.
A person died in the backcountry in Idaho according to the Sawtooth Avalanche Center.
The skier triggered a small slide that set off a larger one and swept him away.
His skiing partner alerted the rescue services and then dug him out, but he was declared dead at the scene by the rescue services.
There have been 16 avalanche fatalities in the U.S. in the 2023-2024 season according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The annual average is 30.
In Canada, Avalanche Canada reports a high risk of avalanche for areas of Banff National Park and Lake Louise.
“We’re going to see a spike in the avalanche hazard when the snowpack warms up like this, and particularly when it doesn’t freeze at night,” said Avalanche Canada.
Avalanche Canada’s bulletins are meant primarily for skiers and backcountry users, this time of year there is also concern for hikers.
“Particularly hikers around Lake Louise, they’re not going into avalanche terrain, they don’t know anything about avalanches,” the organisation said.
It advises hikers to go to a visitor centre to be advised on a hike that doesn’t have avalanche exposure.
We reported on the annual avalanche death toll in Europe and North America earlier on PlanetSKI:
