 Poster: A snowHead
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Far fewer people lost their lives on the slopes in Austria this season than last, according to the Austrian Committee for Alpine Safety. In all, 33 skiers and snowboarders were killed, most of whom died on prepared pistes. In the 2009/2010 season, 96 people lost their lives on and off prepared slopes.
Only three skiers and boarders were killed by avalanches this winter, while 39 died in the same way in the 2009/2010 season....For more info, see: http://austrianindependent.com/news/General_News/2011-04-29/7358/Skiing_deaths_down_sharply
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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fewer skiers ?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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it is all bogus reporting from ski web sites AFAIKS.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Something a little odd about this and it looks like some confused reporting.
The Osterreichisches Kuratorium fur Alpine Sicherheit put out a report on 08 March 2011.
http://www.alpinesicherheit.at/index.php?menuid=2457
The report quoted the figure of 39 dead at that stage in the season (sadly there were more after 08 March). It noted that this was a slight increase in on piste fatalities and a significant decrease in off piste.
16 people died after a fall without hitting something else.
8 people died following a collision with an obstacle.
3 people following a collision with another skier.
It went on to say that the leading cause of fatalities of Austrian slopes is usually heart attacks, 12 people died this way in 10/11, less than in previous years.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The KfAS may well have put out a subsequent report covering the remainder of the season (I haven't spotted it on their website), but the numbers in those reports still don't seem to add up.
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Apples and Oranges:
"39 Personen im organisierten Skiraum"
Meanwhile:
"Durch die seit Wochen sehr stabile Schneedecke fällt die Bilanz im freien Skiraum außerordentlich positiv aus: 8 Personen verunglückten bisher im freien Skiraum tödlich (2009/10: 38, 2008/09: 27), davon nur 3 bei Lawinenunfällen."
The 2009/10 figure of 96 is for on and off prepared slopes. The 2010/11 figure of 39 is only in resorts.
Simple: more total deaths last year; more deaths in resorts this year. Seems like the logical consequence of a lower snowfall season.
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ami in berlin, I think you're right the figures can't really be compared. Not least because the 10/11 figures in the report I linked from KfAS are not for the whole season. Presumably the Austrian Independent article is based on a more recent press release. Even then the figures quoted don't quite seem to stack up to me. And nor do the figures from the Austrian Times article seem to relate to the KfAS release in March.
That's not to say that there haven't been less fatalities this season mind.
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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.
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08 March report by KfAS said 47 killed at that stage, 39 killed on piste, 8 off.
01 March Austrian Times claims KfAS have announced 30.
29 April Austrian Independent has KfAS claiming 48 (though it might be 33).
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The austrians are not very helpful but I don't believe the number of avalanche deaths has dropped from 39 to 3, I suspect someone at the Austrian times is getting confused.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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davidof, ....you're certainly right about the Austrian Times being confused. There's the breach of the 'like with like comparison' requirements (which others above have pointed to) and then (since you can make no assumptions that everyone in a skiing nation actually skis) there's the final statement that the pistes were icy despite extensive snowmaking, without realising that artificial snow can lead to the creation of really bad, and extensive, areas of hard ice. Oh well.
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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.
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Neither the Austrian Times nor the Austrian Independent are exactly mainstream Austrian media outlets.
That said the initial KfAS report is itself rather unhelpful in that it came out in early March so presumably was compiled on statistics from the end of February. It then goes on to make a comparison itself between for example the 09/10 figures such as the 39 avalanche fatalities (including 14 in one week in early February 2010) without making clear as far as I can see that that figure is for the whole season whereas the figure of 3 avalanche deaths is only up to the end of February.
Presumably they will produce more figures now that the season is finishing. KfAS quotes the average annual avalanche figure in Austria as 26 fatalities.
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| nozawaonsen wrote: |
Neither the Austrian Times nor the Austrian Independent are exactly mainstream Austrian media outlets.
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No they are not. Far too many websites looking to fill space on their pages with poorly written nonsense.
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You know it makes sense.
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And here is the actual 29 April 2011 press release from KfAS.
http://www.alpinesicherheit.at/index.php?menuid=2465
- From 01 November 2010 to 28 April 2011 there were 117 fatalities in the Austrian Alps. A 15% decrease on the previous year (2009/10: 139 Alpine deaths over the same period). [Presumably this is for all Alpine activities? But not including normal road accidents etc? Or maybe it does given it was a police briefing?]
- A slight increase in those killed skiing on piste (48 compared to 45 and 47 the years before).
- "Significantly" fewer people died skiing off piste. Only 14 apparently, compared to 51 in 2009/2010 and 46 in 2008/2009 [the press release claims this is 27 less, but that seems more like 37 less to me?].
- Up to now there have only been 3 deaths in avalanches. The lowest number ever. Although given the risk of ski touring accidents in the high mountains, the risk remains.
So overall a reduction in fatalities. A slight increase in on piste deaths, a substantial decrease in off piste deaths and a record low number of avalanche fatalities.
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