It was the eighth avalanche victim within a few days in Tyrol: The 54-year-old who was buried by snow masses in Niederthai in the Ötztal on Monday was fatally affected by a so-called remote triggering – a danger that many winter sports enthusiasts do not have on their radar. A year ago there were five dead in Spiss (Landeck district) from remotely triggered avalanches.
Although there was considerable danger (level 3), the 54-year-old ski tourer from the Tyrolean Oberland felt safe on Monday in the relatively flat Wannenkar near Niederthai. Because the rule of thumb says: At level 3, slopes from 35 degrees are taboo – but the Wannenkar only has about 30 degrees in this area. “Under certain conditions, you can trigger an avalanche even in apparently unsuspicious terrain.” That’s exactly what happened to the 54-year-old. The masses of snow thundered down on him from the steep side flanks. “It’s the worst thing there is” “Remote release” is the name of this phenomenon, which only occurs on a few days in winter. “It’s the worst thing there is,” warns Sellrain avalanche expert Lukas Ruetz. The prerequisite for this: a massive old snow problem, as is currently the case in Tyrol.Continuous weak layer “If there is a continuous weak layer up to the steep terrain, a break in the snow cover in the flat areas continues into the steep slopes above,” explains avalanche guru Mair. The result: a devastating remote release. A year ago, this phenomenon was also the fatality of the mountain guide in Spiss who died in an avalanche with four guests. The group was already in flat terrain when the White Death thundered down from the steep flanks in the distance. How delicate the avalanche situation is in general is shown by an unfortunate accident on Wednesday in Verwall. There, five ski tourers narrowly escaped the White Death.
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