In Carinthia, Salzburg, Styria and Tyrol, avalanche warning level 3 applies on the five-part scale. Winter sports enthusiasts are urged to be cautious and a “defensive route choice” is recommended by the avalanche warning services. The situation should remain the same in the coming days. At the weekend there were sometimes fatal avalanches in Austria. In the federal state of Salzburg, where the avalanche accident with three deaths occurred last Saturday (near Tweng in Lungau), the situation in the Hohe and Niederen Tauern remains significant. Most avalanche accidents occur in this situation. In the current management report on Monday, caution and restraint was therefore called for: On compact old snow there is loose and cold snow, which can grow into extensive packets of snowdrifts due to the strong wind. The danger increases with altitude, in some areas just one person can trigger avalanches. An improvement is not expected in the coming days. The avalanche experts’ conclusion: “Experience and restraint are still important.”
The situation is similar in Styria: The avalanche danger was also “considerable” in many mountains as of Monday morning – including in the Dachstein region, in the Totes Gebirge, in the Ennstal Alps, in the Eisenerzer Alps, Rottenmanner Tauern, Nördliche Wölzer Tauern, Schladminger Tauern North, Schladminger Tauern South, Gurktal Alps, Seetal Alps, Southern Wölzer Tauern, Koralpe, Stub- and Gleinalpe, Seckauer Tauern. Around 20 to 30 centimeters of fresh snow fell there. According to the Styrian Avalanche Warning Service, there are snow drift problems, especially in the high altitudes. It was only on Saturday that two ski tourers on the Sonntagskogel in the Seckauer Tauern (Murtal district) were swept away by an avalanche. A 29-year-old was partially buried and injured and flown to Kalwang State Hospital. His companion, a 27-year-old woman, was also hit by the avalanche, but managed to deploy her avalanche airbag and was therefore not buried.
A little more snow fell in Carinthia, where there was around 40 centimeters of fresh snow. There were no missions due to avalanches here at the weekend – but the avalanche danger is classified as considerable practically everywhere above the tree line. Especially in Upper Carinthia, packets of snowdrifts would lie on a weak old snowpack: “They can be disturbed by a small additional load and trigger medium-sized avalanches,” said the Carinthian avalanche warning service on Monday. In wind-calmed locations, “seductively loose snow” can sometimes be found, and tourers should definitely choose a “defensive” route. In the Hohe Tauern it could snow again as early as Tuesday.
In Tyrol, 20 to 40 centimeters of fresh snow have been reported since Saturday, “locally more”, according to the avalanche warning service. “Weak old snow is the main danger,” say the experts. In particular, warnings were given about drift and sliding snow. Avalanches can be triggered by individual winter sports enthusiasts. On Sunday, for example, a slab of snow was thrown by a 27-year-old on the descent from Sonntagsköpfl in the Zillertal – she was dug up and rescued by her companion.
Source: Nachrichten
