Drama in the Tyrolean Alps: avalanche buried ski tourers!

Drama in the Tyrolean Alps: avalanche buried ski tourers!

On Monday, March 24, 2025, there was a tragic incident in the Tyrolean Alps when at least three ski tourers were buried by an avalanche. The accident occurred on a glacier in the municipality of Sölden, Imst district, and was registered around 10:30 a.m. when the group was hit by a "relatively large avalanche". The exact circumstances of the Albertaus still unclear, and the identity of the persons concerned is not yet known, such as 5min.at reported.

The buried ski tourers belonged to a group of six. A first assignment has already been shown: a hemter was discovered under rubble and immediately flown to the hospital in Zams. The search campaign itself was a large -scale assignment, in which two emergency helicopters, a police helicopter and two mountain rescues were used.

difficult search in the Lechtaler Alpen

At the same time, another avalanche accident occurred in the Lechtal Alps, in which a 62-year-old ski tour was hit. Together with a 63-year-old companion, he was traveling in the municipality of Kais when the avalanche triggered from a gutter around 11:00 a.m. Both were torn down the valley, with the woman being able to free herself. She immediately put the emergency call and started with the comrade rescue, while her companion was buried with serious leg injuries under the avalanche. After about 15 minutes it was found and flown to the district hospital Zams, such as suedtirolnews.it in detail.

The missions revealed itself as difficult, because in the Kaisertal the reception was bad due to the geographical circumstances. In addition, avalanche warning level two in the affected area was initially applied, but the following day a significant increase in danger to level four was predicted. Experts warn of fresh snow and strong wind that can trigger spontaneous and large avalanches.

avalanche warning levels and security

The reporting on the avalanche risk focuses on essential facts. Annually, avalanches in Austria demand around 100 lives. A distinction is made between different types of avalanches: snowboard avalanches, loose snow avalanches, dust names and basic avalanches. Snowboard avalanches, which are often triggered by ski tourers, as well as dust blanks that can go down up to 300 km/h. Safety measures are crucial to minimize the risk. These include shovels, probe and LVS device. According to sportalpen.com Airbags such as the ABS Twinbag significantly increase the chances of survival in avalanches.

The interactions of the current weather Situation, combined with the increased avalanche risk, make the situation for winter athletes particularly risky. The authorities urgently advise you to observe the current warnings and to better avoid skiing and touring offers at high warning levels and to rely on safer areas.