 Poster: A snowHead
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The always excellent PisteHors has published their annual review of avalanche statistics for the previous season, written by davidof. It opens with
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| The 2011-2012 season in France saw 23 avalanche fatalities in 15 incidents. The figures were skewed by the death of 9 climbers on Mont Maudit in July in a single accident. Since 1990 only 3 seasons have seen less fatalities and 1992/93 fewer accidents. However the perception in the public mind was a season of avalanches hitting ski runs and infrastructure culminating in a huge slide that destroyed an operating chairlift at Saint François Longchamp on the 2nd of March, 2012. |
Full report here and a summary in tabular form here.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sobering. Very interesting though.
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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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Very good review.
Interesting that only a quarter of avalanche deaths were of people skiing or boarding at the time. We tend to think of skiers releasing avalanches - I hadn't realised that so many victims were walking or skinning (40%).
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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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Just read it all. Immense review.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just to add a little more. SLF also reported a lower than average 19 fatalities from avalanches in winter 11/12. The annual average is 25. Of these:
Level 2: 5
Level 3: 12
In terms of activity.
Off piste skiers: 3
Touring skiers: 12
Walkers: 2
Driving: 2
Damage to infrastructure such as buildings and roads was higher than usual and the number of snow slides or "gleitschneelawinen" was exceptional, a once in a thirty year event (one in five avalanches was a snow slide). The heavy snowfall earlier in the season created a significant challenge for the emergency services.
http://www.slf.ch/lawineninfo/wochenbericht/2011-12/Jahresbericht/Lawinenaktivitaet/index_DE
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I'm no expert but I thought last year was a bad year for the number of avalanches in the Alps.
I believe the main cause was that at the beginning of December heavy snowfall fell on warm bare ground. Normally the ground gets a lot colder before the snow falls on to it.
The first significant snowfalls have just fallen in the Alps but hopefully this year the snow will be more stable.
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welshflyer, yes last years's conditions lead to an increase in snow slides or gleitscnheelawinen and this persisted through much of the season. The risks from gleitschneelawinen are particular though. In general they are slow moving, hard to trigger (deliberately or accidentally) and unpredictable. However, that is separate from the more general avalanche risk. This went up and down during last season. In general there was a lower incidence of fatalities across the Alps last winter and an increased incidence of damage to infrastructure.
As to this season the recent snow if it were to persist could actually increase the incidence of gleitschneelawinen for the coming season because it would act as a blanket to the still warm ground. To avoid this you would want to see the ground cool more before the snow pack fully establishes itself. At present it looks like it will be cool for the first third of November (though not cold enough to keep the current snow at low levels) as to what happens after that who knows!
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FAQ
