Stuben, Austria – On Wednesday, January 11, 2017 a 54-year-old German woman was caught, buried, and killed in an avalanche below the Maroispitze near Stuben am Arlberg in Vorarlberg, Austria.
At around noon, a group of 4 skiers including the victim’s husband, another companion, and a ski guide were traveling below the Maroispitze (2522 meters) when the avalanche accident occurred. Lawis.at notes that two people were caught in the avalanche – one partially buried and one complete burial. The avalanche victim, a woman, was carried 40 meters down slope before she was buried (Heute.at). The other three members of the party were uninjured.
Members of her group contacted authorities. Then began to search for her with avalanche transceivers. The woman was located quickly and was buried under 2 feet of snow. Rescuers, alpine police, and avalanche dogs responded but the woman did not survive (DerStandard.at).
Lawis.at reports that the incident happened on a NW aspect at 2470 meters on a 36 degree slope. The avalanche was a size 3 slab avalanche that was 50 meters wide, 170 meters long, and 85 cm deep. The avalanche danger for terrain above 2000 meters on 11 January 2017 was 3 out of 5 (considerable).
We will try to update this post when more information is available.
This is the 5th avalanche fatality during the 2016/2017 winter season in Austria:
- 20161016 – Hintertux Glacier, Olperer – 1
- 20161126 – Verwall Valley, Obergurgl – 2
- 20161231 – Krahbergzinken, Schladming – 1
Read more about the fatal avalanche near Stuben am Arlberg, Austria from the following sources:
All information in this post was found using Google Translate. There may be errors in this information. Please use the sources listed above to verify all facts.
