Danger of avalanches in the mountains: what you should have with you on your tour

Created: 01/10/2022Updated: 01/10/2022, 5:37 PM

From: Franziska Kaindl

Avalanches occur time and again in the mountains in winter.

© Imago

In winter, some tourists go skiing, snowshoeing or touring in the mountains.

Here it is also important to prepare for possible avalanches.

Winter sports such as ski touring or snowshoeing are becoming increasingly popular.

The special thing about these activities is that they take place away from the slopes, so that more untouched terrain can be discovered.

But this is where the avalanche danger is highest - around 90 percent of those buried caused the avalanche themselves, as reported by the German Alpine Association (DAV).

There are around 100 avalanche deaths in the Alps every year.

It is therefore of great importance that winter vacationers prepare optimally for their trip to the mountains.

Proper preparation: required reading for a winter holiday in the mountains

Before you start your day in the mountains, you should read the current weather report and the avalanche report.

In the best case scenario, print out the information and take it with you so that you can read it again on the go.

In general, the European avalanche danger scale has five different danger levels:

• 1 (low)

  : Smaller spontaneous avalanches are possible in isolated cases.

  Small avalanches can be triggered with little additional stress, for example individual skiers or snowboarders.

  Medium-sized avalanches are possible with high additional loads (e.g. several skiers or snowboarders without relief distances) in extremely steep terrain.

• 2 (moderate)

  : There are significantly more areas at risk of avalanches than with low avalanche danger.

  Large avalanches are only possible in isolated cases.

  Smaller and medium-sized avalanches are possible with high additional loads, in some cases even with low additional loads.

• 3 (considerable)

  : Large avalanches can be triggered both spontaneously and with low additional loads.

  Thump noises and “shooting cracks” are typical.

  Remote triggering is possible.

• 4 (large)

  : Large avalanches are more likely to be triggered both spontaneously and with little additional exposure.

  Thump noises occur more frequently, and "shooting cracks" are typical.

  Remote triggering is possible.

• 5 (very large)

  : It is to be expected that many very large and extremely large avalanches can be triggered by themselves.

  Flat areas are flooded, and valleys are also endangered.

Find out here:

Avalanche danger: the right equipment for emergencies

When ski touring or snowshoeing off-piste, winter sports enthusiasts should always have emergency equipment with them.

According to the new leaflet "Warning Avalanches", which was updated under the direction of the Bavarian Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety, the following is standard:

• Avalanche transceiver (avalanche transceiver)

  : The avalanche transceiver is an electronic device for searching for avalanche victims.

  It is fastened to the body with straps and sends out radio signals during the tour.

  In the event of an avalanche accident, the seeker switches on his device to locate victims.

• Avalanche probe

  : It helps to pinpoint the location of the avalanche victim.

  It can be used to determine both the location and the depth of the burial.

• Avalanche shovel

• Emergency pharmacy

• Bivouac sack

• Cell phone

  (or emergency radio or satellite-supported emergency devices)

• Orientation aids

  such as maps (scale 1: 25,000), GPS, altimeter, compass, possibly binoculars

Also read

Rules of conduct in case of avalanches

The best protection against avalanches is not to take unnecessary risks and to observe certain rules of conduct:

• Check the avalanche report every day.

• Never go off-road without complete emergency equipment.

• Never go off the slopes alone.

  Anyone who is buried depends on the help of others.

• Keep your distance from other skiers and snowboarders on endangered slopes.

• Look around: who is above you, who is below you?

• Always ski down steep slopes one at a time.

• Stay alert.

  Sometimes dangers can be identified early on by means of noises under the snow cover.

• Take part in training courses organized by the German Ski Association (DSV) or in ski schools on a regular basis.

Also interesting

What to do if an avalanche breaks out?

In order to get out of an avalanche unharmed, you need the right equipment as well as a lot of luck.

Even with the right rules of conduct, the force of an avalanche is often too great to carry out controlled safety measures.

Nevertheless, even worse things can be prevented with small rules of conduct, as the magazine GEO informs:

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