Avalanche takes several people away near Zermatt. Experts had previously warned of very large to extremely large spontaneous avalanches.
In Switzerland, 14 people died in twelve avalanche accidents in the winter of 2023/24 by the end of March. If there is a risk that an avalanche could thunder across a marked ski slope, the slope will be closed. Many off-piste skiers carry avalanche detection devices with them. There are also avalanche airbags that, when inflated, ensure that skiers do not end up so deeply under the masses of snow.