Snow avalanches claim an average of 100 lives in Europe every year. The common goal of all European Avalanche Warning Services is to reduce the loss of lives and damages due to avalanches by providing the society with efficient and effective avalanche forecasting and warning services.
We start recording the number of fatalities on 1 October every year. The figures are based on reports received from EAWS members and their partners. Please let us know if there is any missing data and errors, by sending an e-mail to us.
| Location | Country | Date | Avalanche Problem 1 | Avalanche Problem 2 | Forecasted Regional Danger Level | Dead | Group Size | Avalanche Comment | Incident Comment | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Rettenbachferner | Austria | 2019-11-09 12:06:00 | Persistent weak layer | Wind-drifted snow | 2 | 3 | null | null | Off-piste skiing | |
| 196 | Valle di Champorcher - sotto linea impianto Cimetta Rossa | Italy | 2019-11-24 08:46:00 | Wet snow | Wet snow | 4 | 1 | 1 | null | null | Off-piste skiing |
| 85 | Punta Helbronner | Italy | 2019-11-30 11:00:00 | Wind-drifted snow | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 2 | 2 | null | null | Off-piste skiing |
| 74 | Školský žlab, Chopok | Slovakia | 2019-12-14 10:55:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 2 | 1 | 2 | "1 injured - broken thigh-bone" | Off-piste skiing | ||
| 181 | Vars | France | 2019-12-14 16:30:00 | Wind-drifted snow | New snow | 4 | 1 | 3 | "partly soft slab, partly hard slab" | "They were skiing one by one. Height of the avalanche deposit : 2,50 to 3m. Victim found by the ski-patrollers after 30 minutes ; died in the hospital due to wounds. Very strong NW wind on recent snow at the moment of the accident." | Off-piste skiing |
| 95 | punta Fontana fredda- Valtournanche- Cheneil | Italy | 2019-12-15 09:22:00 | Wind-drifted snow | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 1 | 1 | null | null | Off-piste skiing |
| 93 | Val Sesia - Passo della Civera | Italy | 2019-12-15 10:02:00 | Wind-drifted snow | Wind-drifted snow | 4 | 1 | 4 | null | null | Off-piste skiing |
| 69 | Engelberg, Laub | Switzerland | 2019-12-15 10:30:00 | Wind-drifted snow | Persistent weak layer | 3 | 1 | 2 | Off-piste skiing | ||
| 94 | Alpe di Siusi - Hundskopf | Italy | 2019-12-15 11:00:00 | Wind-drifted snow | Wind-drifted snow | 2 | 1 | 4 | null | null | Other |
| 121 | Hoher Ifen, Ifenmulde, Kleinwalsertal | Austria | 2019-12-15 11:30:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 1 | 2 | null | null | Backcountry skiing | |
| 96 | Solda-Schotnaufpiste | Italy | 2019-12-24 10:24:00 | Wind-drifted snow | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 1 | 1 | Off-piste skiing | ||
| 70 | Piz Nair | Switzerland | 2019-12-26 11:00:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 1 | 4 | "Avalanche released in persistent weak layer" | Off-piste skiing | ||
| 97 | Senales | Italy | 2019-12-28 10:27:00 | Wind-drifted snow | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 3 | 6 | null | null | Off-piste skiing |
| 71 | Lauchernalp, Stieltihorn | Switzerland | 2019-12-28 11:20:00 | New snow | 3 | 1 | 2 | Backcountry skiing | |||
| 98 | dolomiti di brenta vedretta superiore-scivolo ovest (vallone Massari) | Italy | 2019-12-29 11:29:00 | Gliding snow | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 1 | 2 | null | null | Alpinist |
| 4 | Gamskarspitze | Austria | 2019-12-31 13:30:00 | Persistent weak layer | 2 | 1 | 4 | null | null | Alpinist | |
| 182 | Revel. | France | 2020-01-02 00:00:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 2 | 2 | 2 | "Very steep couloir" | "1 was dead when the recue team arrived ; the other one died 10 days later.They have been taken by the avalanche for 400m" | Backcountry skiing | |
| 188 | Valmeinier | France | 2020-01-24 12:45:00 | Wind-drifted snow | Persistent weak layer | 2 | 1 | 6 | "Hard slab" | "Guided by a ski instructor. Victim buried under 1m snow height." | Backcountry skiing |
| 183 | Les Houches | France | 2020-01-29 11:30:00 | New snow | Wind-drifted snow | 4 | 1 | 6 | "Soft slab (Volumic mass : 70kg\/m3)." | "6 skiers including a professional ski instructor, that is the one that was buried. Was alived after reanimation when found in serious conditions; perished the day after at hospital" | Off-piste skiing |
| 110 | Mosgardshnjukar | Iceland | 2020-01-29 12:45:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 2 | 1 | 3 | "running water in the gully" | null | Backcountry skiing | |
| 184 | La toussuire | France | 2020-01-30 16:00:00 | Wind-drifted snow | Wet snow | 3 | 2 | 3 | "Release type : trigerred by the recreationnists themselves" | null | Off-piste skiing |
| 5 | Neunerkogel | Austria | 2020-01-31 13:46:00 | Persistent weak layer | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 1 | 1 | "Channeled avalanche, steep terrain" | "recovered alive, died in hospital several days later." | Backcountry skiing |
| 1883 | freier Schiraum westlich. Mahdlochjoch | Austria | 2020-02-02 11:30:00 | New snow | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 1 | 1 | null | "h\u00f6chstwahrscheinlich selbstausgel\u00f6st und keine LVS Ausr\u00fcstung" | Off-piste skiing |
| 6 | Murkarspitze | Austria | 2020-02-09 11:40:00 | Persistent weak layer | 2 | 1 | 8 | null | null | Backcountry skiing | |
| 72 | Rossbodenpass | Switzerland | 2020-02-13 12:30:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 2 | 2 | 6 | Backcountry skiing | |||
| 26 | Fridtjofbreen | Norway | 2020-02-20 12:00:00 | Wind-drifted snow | Persistent weak layer | 2 | 2 | 10 | "test" | "Group size is unknown" | Snowmobiling |
| 75 | Aonach Mor nr Ben Nevis | United Kingdom | 2020-02-28 15:00:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 4 | 1 | 2 | null | "2 persons carried in avalanche, 1 person buried, 1 injured but alerted rescue. Poor weather conditions and visibility" | Alpinist | |
| 185 | Vallorcine | France | 2020-03-01 12:00:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 1 | 3 | "(very) Soft slab. Small width and thickness" | null | Off-piste skiing | |
| 81 | Cap de Vaquèira | Spain | 2020-03-03 14:30:00 | Wind-drifted snow | New snow | 3 | 1 | 4 | "Terrain trap with cliffs" | "Group of 4 snowboarders walking up the hill. 2 people dragged." | Off-piste skiing |
| 186 | La Plagne | France | 2020-03-06 12:30:00 | Wet snow | New snow | 4 | 1 | 3 | "Semi-soft slab" | null | Off-piste skiing |
| 1568 | Șerbota | Romania | 2020-03-06 13:00:00 | New snow | 3 | 1 | 11 | null | "11 tourists from Austria" | Backcountry skiing | |
| 120 | Göller, Eisgrube | Austria | 2020-03-07 12:00:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 2 | 1 | 1 | null | null | Off-piste skiing | |
| 119 | Hallstatt | Austria | 2020-03-08 09:15:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 3 | 5 | 5 | null | "snow shoes" | Other | |
| 2062 | Lammereis - Kleinglocknerkees | Austria | 2020-03-08 10:30:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 2 | 1 | null | null | null | Alpinist | |
| 112 | Lammereis - Kleinglocknerkees | Austria | 2020-03-08 11:30:00 | Wind-drifted snow | 2 | 1 | 1 | null | null | Alpinist | |
| 187 | Barèges | France | 2020-03-15 13:00:00 | Wet snow | 2 | 2 | 7 | "Hard Slab (big and thick)" | null | Backcountry skiing | |
| 86 | Strahleggpass | Switzerland | 2020-05-07 12:15:00 | 1 | 2 | Backcountry skiing | |||||
| 149 | Mont Brûlé | Switzerland | 2020-05-08 12:00:00 | 1 | null | null | null | ||||
| 87 | Tofana di Rozes - rifugio Giussani | Italy | 2020-05-09 09:30:00 | Wet snow | Wet snow | 2 | 1 | 2 | null | null | Off-piste skiing |
| 108 | Pizzo del Diavolo/Canalone della Malgina | Italy | 2020-05-12 10:15:00 | Wet snow | New snow | 2 | 1 | 1 | null | null | Off-piste skiing |
| 180 | Gråfonnfjellet | Norway | 2020-05-24 12:00:00 | Wet snow | Gliding snow | 2 | 1 | null | null | null | |
| 1874 | France | 2020-07-01 00:00:00 | 11 | null | null | null | Other |