Swiss resort in mourning after avalanche across piste kills ski patroller

The Swiss resort of Crans Montana has declared a week of mourning following the death of a ski patroller in an avalanche that crossed a piste. There will also be a minute’s silence at 2:23pm today.

Search and rescue teams have been out in force in the resort since the avalanche swept across a piste busy with half-term skiers at around 2.15pm on Tuesday afternoon.

An avalanche across a piste is very rare, and a particularly frightening occurrence since skiers and snowboarders on a resort’s official groomed pistes expect to be protected by prevention systems.

Resorts not only close at risk areas, their ski patrol sets off avalanches in areas where snow build up may be a danger, before skiers are allowed on the pistes below them.

However, social media footage from skiers who were on the Kandahar piste in the Plaine Morte area of Crans Montana shows the moment when a cloud of snow descended the groomed run.

One skier uphill of the videographer was engulfed by the snow. Other images and video from the scene show snow piled up on and around the piste – police statements say the avalanche was 100 metres wide and 840 metres long, 400 metres of which was on the piste.

Four injured people were rescued immediately, including two ski patrollers who were helping someone who had been involved in a separate accident. One of the ski patrollers, a 34-year-old man who had worked at the resort since 2010, later died from his injuries.

Rescuers were quickly at the site, searching for potential victims. According to statements from Valais Police, 244 people were engaged in the mission, including health workers and the army as well as ski patrol, along with eight helicopters, teams of avalanche dogs and piste basher machines.

The four injured people were airlifted to hospital in nearby Sion on Tuesday. Three of them, including the skier involved in the earlier accident and a second ski patroller, suffered only minor injuries. All but one of the three have now been released from hospital. Witnesses told police others could be buried so the search continued overnight and on Wednesday.

Representatives of the Institute for Snow and Avalanche research in Switzerland (SLF), which monitors avalanche activity, were also at the scene. With warm temperatures and sunny days across the Alps, following plentiful snowfall in previous weeks, avalanche risk had been set at a moderate 2 out of a possible 5 in the resort on Tuesday.

Avalanche risk of 2 means unstable slabs of snow causing avalanches are possible in the mountains. Avalanches usually take place off piste, and skiers and snowboarders venturing away from marked runs are advised to go with a mountain guide who knows the area and can make informed decisions about which slopes are safe.

They should also wear avalanche safety equipment such as a transceiver that enables them to be found if buried under the snow and to search for others, an avalanche airbag that inflates to carry them above the snow, plus a shovel and probe for helping with searching.

Because the risk of being caught in an avalanche on piste is so low, people who stay on the marked slopes are not advised to wear them and rarely do. As well as the usual search equipment, rescue workers in Crans Montana made use of a machine used by regional police that looks for mobile phone signals.

The cause of the avalanche is still being investigated by the public prosecutor’s office. However, speculation has included that it could have been triggered by skiers traversing across the off-piste slope above the piste, unstable snow, or even a localised earthquake.

Whatever the cause, the avalanche risk for Switzerland reported by the SLF remains generally low for the Valais region, which is also home to famous Swiss ski resorts such as Zermatt, Verbier, Andermatt and Saas Fee. It is now at 1 or 2 out of 5 everywhere for the most dangerous types of dry-snow avalanches, however in Crans Montana and some other resorts such as Gstaad the risk is set at 3 (considerable) for gliding avalanches in which the whole snowpack naturally slides down the mountain.

Most deaths from avalanches happen off piste. According to SLF, since 1996 there have been five similar accidents where an avalanche hit a resort slope, resulting in a total of five deaths.

Avalanche expert Henry Schniewind of Henry’s Avalanche Talk also says the risk of an avalanche happening on piste is tiny. He told The Telegraph: “What happened in Crans-Montana is known as a post controlled avalanche – when a slope previously controlled for avalanches, which presumably it was, slides. It’s the biggest nightmare for resorts and ski patrollers anywhere, but it’s also extremely rare.

“At this time of the season, all ski resorts are under pressure to open their slopes but they certainly don’t compromise on safety. However, accidents can happen. In this case, a local ski patroller lost his life and it reminds us how brave these people are, they risk their lives to help others.

“Right now, because of the rapidly warming temperatures, natural avalanches are being triggered. The risk of an avalanche on piste is tiny. If a piste is closed, this reminds us not to go on it. We need to wait for the investigation to find out exactly what happened here.”

Police statements say many calls have been made to its helpline, and the investigation on Wednesday focused on ruling out potential missing persons – the search has now been called off and a no-fly zone over the piste lifted. The Kandahar piste in Crans Montana remained closed while the enquiry continued.

The patroller, who has not been named, leaves a wife and two children. The lift company said: [The ski patroller] was passionate about the region and particularly about rescuing people in the Alpine environment. He was much appreciated by his team and the whole of the company both for his personal and professional qualities.

“CMA management and all staff have been deeply affected by the event and want to express their most heartfelt sympathy and compassion to the rescue worker's family and loved ones.”

The resort has set up a support unit for colleagues, relatives and tourists, and employees and visitors are invited to wear a black armband for a week starting today, available from lower lift stations.