WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF)

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Issuing Swiss avalanche bulletins

Eight skiers died in three avalanches across Austria on Saturday, January 18—all within four hours, all in terrain where warnings had been issued for days. The dead include a woman buried in front of her husband in Bad Hofgastein, four killed in the Gastein Valley, and three Czech nationals swept away in Pusterwald. These eight deaths brought the week's Alpine toll to at least 19 across Austria (7 deaths), France (6 deaths), Switzerland (5 deaths), and Italy (1 death).

Updated May 22