So it's St.Johann am Tauern (another St. Johann I wasn't aware of, I'd only previously heard of St.Johann in Tirol and St. Johann im Pongau, but I guess there could be several other small villages with the St. Johann name)
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Gosh - dramatic news. Sounds like major work underway to keep people safe, and supplied with essentials. Efforts to keep ski lifts going and secure pistes against avalanche are going to take a back seat, I imagine.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
There haven't been many piste closures. A few lifts closed due to wind, and some roads closed due to avalanche risk. The road to Obertauern is currently closed and the roads to Saalbach and Zauchensee have been closed, but now open. The Dientener Sattel is also closed.
Tragically there have been three fatalities in Salzburgland, a skier in Zauchensee who fell off piste and couldn't get himself out off the soft snow and a couple who were snow shoe walking near Abtenau.
The mountain rescue, fire service, highways service, lift companies and local authorities are doing a marvellous job of keeping as much open as possible whilst maintaining safety.
Today has been a few degrees warmer which has been rain below around 500m, but the forecast is due to return to colder temperatures with yet more snow.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@waynos, happened to me also yesterday at Zauchensee. very very scary.
Thankfully Scarpa was skiing behind and dug me out.
I was skiing a very well known to me run under the red gondola, we came to a steep lip and stopped to assess best way down, and I somehow toppled over and ended upsidedown over a steep drop, with nothing to support me and a very high over hang, about 4 foot of snow directly above me. It was the first time I have literally feared for my life, and I will not be venturing off piste again until this has died down. There are just massive drifts everywhere, its like skiing into cement, you cant tell the pillows from the drifts and drops.
It states that both guests and inhabitants have had to be evacuated from the town, the last group of 100 in a motor convoy behind a snow plough. The journey took about an hour.
@waynos, happened to me also yesterday at Zauchensee. very very scary.
Thankfully Scarpa was skiing behind and dug me out.
I was skiing a very well known to me run under the red gondola, we came to a steep lip and stopped to assess best way down, and I somehow toppled over and ended upsidedown over a steep drop, with nothing to support me and a very high over hang, about 4 foot of snow directly above me. It was the first time I have literally feared for my life, and I will not be venturing off piste again until this has died down. There are just massive drifts everywhere, its like skiing into cement, you cant tell the pillows from the drifts and drops.
I know the feeling. Got caught upside down in a 2 meter plus wind drift. One arm pinned on my side. Snow up my sinuses, and first breath was chocking and no air as I had inhaled a bunch of snow. Few seconds of panic, get the free hand to get to the snow off. Lots and lots of snow! Dig!Dig!Dig! Finally get my hand to my mouth and dig the snow out, and get my first breath of air. Struggle for 5 minutes. Get the arm free that was pinned. Wiggle and squirm like fighting an Olympic caliber wrestler for another five minutes. Drenched in sweat. Completely exhausted. Finally get free and right side up. Can barely do a one legged squat to get my foot up to my ski to click in. Then one more with the other leg. Have never forgot that moment and those feelings.
Stay safe out there.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Blimey be safe guys.
More news here on cut off villages and set to continue as new storm rolls in
@waynos, happened to me also yesterday at Zauchensee. very very scary.
Thankfully Scarpa was skiing behind and dug me out.
I was skiing a very well known to me run under the red gondola, we came to a steep lip and stopped to assess best way down, and I somehow toppled over and ended upsidedown over a steep drop, with nothing to support me and a very high over hang, about 4 foot of snow directly above me. It was the first time I have literally feared for my life, and I will not be venturing off piste again until this has died down. There are just massive drifts everywhere, its like skiing into cement, you cant tell the pillows from the drifts and drops.
Been in the same situation when a friend went head first into a snow drift and there was no way he was going to free himself. Two of us needed about ten minutes to get him out. We thought it was funny at the time, but in retrospect, had he been alone, he would have been dead. My takeaway from that was never ever go out of sight of a piste on your own, and in fact it's probably best to not go off piste on your own, period.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
My word, that would be very scary, @Kooky, @Toadman, @Steilhang, glad that you all made it out OK, but does just show how quickly things can go wrong. As to the evacuations, it must be serious if they need to do that.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Quote:
had he been alone, he would have been dead
IIRC there was a very sad episode in Chamonix a few years ago when that happened to a snowboarder - a young woman, I think.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Kooky, just reading that gives me shivers. Glad you’re ok
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
holidayloverxx wrote:
@Frosty the Snowman, somewhere called something like Hohkar. They said it was because of avalanche risk and they could not guarantee medical treatment
I know Hochkar well as it's around 2 hrs drive from here (Vienna). It has a long alpine approach road which has been closed because of avalanche risk. The resort has around 3 metres of snow and more is forecast.
https://www.bergfex.at/hochkar/wetter/berg/
If an Avalanche comes down it's likely to take the car off the road and down the steep valley. Suspect they decided to get everyone out before the avalance risk became too high and left people stranded.
This is a descent of the road in winter with very little snow. It now probably has 3m+ high walls of snow at the side.
That automated forecast for Hochkar looks deadly, if it is going to snow for the next 8 days with those wind speeds
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Same situation again. An Austrian schoolteacher lost his ski, went off the side of the piste and head over into a bank of snow. Could not be rescued in time.
https://orf.at/stories/3107009/
Everyone thinks they're acting out a Hollywood movie.
Snowfall is big, but not crazy.
The snowfall levels alone aren‘t super spectacular but the heavy snow fell during strong winds which made things much worse. E.g One resort has a base of 4.3m but the wind has caused depths upto 10m.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
A group of six schoolchildren was caught on piste by a slab avalanche in the Wildkogel area. Two were fully buried, others partly buried. All rescued and only one injured. Lucky!
https://salzburg.orf.at/m/news/stories/2957708/
After all it is free
After all it is free
Moved up to 5 today for us (Bad Ischl-Dachstein). Obertraun (Dachstein Krippenstein) and Gosau (Dachstein West) cut off now with all access roads closed until Friday reportedly. Snowing heavily all day - still is - and winds have picked up again.