50 years after the tragedy: memories of the avalanche in the Montafon

On January 5, 2025, the 50th anniversary of one of the most serious avalanche hungry in the Montafon is celebrated, in which 12 German ski athletes lost their lives. The tragic events took place on New Year's Eve 1974, as members of the Sigmaringen ski club, members of a Sigmaringen doctor and an Aulendorfer broke up for the annual ski tour. Klaus Schierok, a survivor of the accident, returned home that day to keep his wife a promise.

On New Year's Eve day, there was a high start at the ski lift near Gaschurn (Vorarlberg) after several days of snow. Despite the poor conditions, the lift operator opened the new Nova lift, a decision that was subsequently considered wrong. The first skiers, including Schierok's friends, were the first to drive at the Nova lift and were recorded by an avalanche. Among the victims were an Aulendorfer doctor and his children as well as the grandchildren of a family of Sigmaringen. Schierok expressed his concerns about the safety precautions and that the lift should not have been opened.

consequences of the accident

The families and friends of the victims only found out about the losses on New Year. A few days after the accident, Klaus Schierok visited the sports hall in Gaschurn to say goodbye to the deceased. He held a photo of his late friends Gerhard and Sieglinde in his hands who wanted to get married. Schierok, who took home on New Year's Eve morning, sees this as a happy coincidence. On this special day he also celebrates his 50th birthday and raises a glass on the deceased, just like every year on New Year's Eve.

In the past few weeks there have been several fatal avalanche accidents in the Alps, such as The time reported. Shortly before Christmas, nine skiers died at the Steinbergkogel near Kitzbühel. Two weeks later, in the Silvretta Nova ski area, twelve people lost their lives in a wet snow. This avalanche had a length of 350 meters and a width of 70 meters. The current winter is classified as particularly avalanche, since weather conditions such as changing cold, rain, frost and heat bracets affect the binding of the snow stories. Despite warning reports of weather and avalanche stations, the dangers were often ignored.