Tyrolean Alps Avalanche Kills 5 Czech Skiers In Freeride Camp
UPDATE 2/8: A Full Report On This Avalanche Incident is available from Lawinenwarndienst Tirol
Tyrol, Austria – Around noon on Saturday, February 6, 2016 a massive avalanche struck two different groups of ski tourers who were participating in a “freeride camp” on Junsjoch mountain in the Wattental Valley about 40 km southeast of Innsbruck in the Tyrol region of Austria.
According to Tirol.ORF.at, the avalanche surprised the 15 skiers with 2 guides at approximately 2,000 meters on a NE slope on Vultures Peak while they ascended to the Lizumer Hut. One group consisted of 5 skiers and the other had 12 skiers. All 17 people were buried in the avalanche. Five skiers, men and women, from the Czech Republic died, two were injured, and 10 escaped unharmed.
A third group alerted authorities. Rescuers, dog teams, police officers, and helicopters from Tux, Wattens, and Mayrhofen responded to the avalanche accident.
The avalanche was reported as 2 km wide and 1 to 5 meters deep. The avalanche warning at the time was 3 out of 5. Nineteen other avalanches were reported in the Tyrololean Alps of Austria on Saturday. The group had been warned about avalanche conditions by locals, like Anton Nigg the landlord of the Lizumer Hut.
We will try to update this post as more information becomes available.
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Read more about the avalanche in Tyrol, Austria that killed 5 Czech skiers:
- SwissInfo.ch
- BBC
- NBCNews.com
- Associated Press
- DailyMail.co.uk
- Yahoo News
- Tirol.ORF.at
- Repubblica.it
- Backcountry Magazine
