The Italian skier was caught by a 400-metre-long avalanche on February 5 while scaling the northern flank of the 2,968-metre Piz Daint mountain in canton Graubünden.
Kantonspolizei Graubünden
A 46-year-old Italian skier died on Sunday after being swept away by an avalanche while touring in a mountainous region in southeast Switzerland. At least 11 people have reportedly died in avalanches in the Alps since Friday.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
The Italian skier was caught by a 400-metre-long avalanche on February 5 while scaling the northern flank of the 2,968-metre Piz Daint mountain in canton Graubünden. The man was buried and injured in the avalanche despite wearing an avalanche airbag. He died from his injuries in hospital on Sunday, the cantonal police reportedExternal link on Monday.
He was part of a group of eight skiers who were ascending the mountain from the Ofen Pass. On the day of the accident, the avalanche danger in the region was three on a scale of one to five.
More
More
The avalanche survivors
This content was published on
Lake and Forrest Schorderet, passionate free-riders, were hit as they were skiing in the mountains near Saint-Luc in southern Switzerland. For five minutes, Forrest and two friends searched frantically for Lake, buried under the avalanche they had unleashed. A few days later, the former French snowboard champion Julie Pomagalski, 40, was also swept away by…
There have been heavy snow and dozens of avalanches across the Alps over the past week. The Keystone-SDA news agency reported 11 deaths since last Friday.
On Saturday, a 68-year-old Italian ski tourer died in the Reckingen region, in canton Valais, and a second skier was injured after both were swept away by an avalanche.
However, the most serious incidents occurred in Austria. One person was killed and four others were injured in an avalanche in western Austria on Saturday – a day after two other avalanches killed seven skiers. An avalanche in the Bavarian Alps also claimed another fatality.
Heavy snowfall followed by warmer weather has made for unusually dangerous conditions.
The Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF said on Friday that so far this winter there had been 45 avalanches in Switzerland involving people (annual average is 100). These had mainly occurred in an area stretching east of the Bernese Oberland to the eastern Alps.
Since 1936, about 2,000 people have died in avalanches in Switzerland. On average, 24 people die in avalanches every year. Over the past 20 years, more than 90% of the fatalities occurred off-piste.
More
More
Why the Swiss are experts at predicting avalanches
This content was published on
Can avalanches be managed? An in-depth look at the latest Swiss snow science.
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
New European space tech centre in Switzerland launches its first project
This content was published on
The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), launched in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), is to be located in the immediate vicinity of the PSI in northern Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Railways launches campaign for safety on public transport
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways is launching a campaign for greater respect and safety on public transport, with posters to go up in stations and on trains starting next week.
Swiss scientists to use AI for improved weather and climate forecasts
This content was published on
MeteoSwiss and the Swiss Data Science Center have signed a four-year agreement to make greater use of AI in meteorology and climatology going forward.
This content was published on
Prices of owner-occupied homes rose in the third quarter of 2024 by 0.5%, with inflation affecting both apartments and single-family houses, says the Federal Statistical Office.
This content was published on
The honey harvest is projected to be lower than usual this year, as Swiss beekeepers report harvesting an average of just 16kg of honey per bee colony.
More young refugees in Switzerland following vocational training
This content was published on
More than half of young refugees and temporarily admitted persons between the ages of 16 and 25 are now in training. This is significantly more than five years ago.
One in five Swiss children suffers psychological abuse at home
This content was published on
In Switzerland, one in five children suffers psychological violence, and one in three has witnessed psychological violence between parents, says the association Kinderschutz Schweiz.
Swiss government minister breaks silence over Trump remarks controversy
This content was published on
Transport Minister Albert Rösti explained himself in a television interview on Sunday evening, after being called out for expressing support for Donald Trump.
Swiss Covid expert calls for caution on vaccination recommendations
This content was published on
The head of the vaccination commission would be “even more cautious today” when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination recommendations.
This content was published on
Lake and Forrest Schorderet, passionate free-riders, were hit as they were skiing in the mountains near Saint-Luc in southern Switzerland. For five minutes, Forrest and two friends searched frantically for Lake, buried under the avalanche they had unleashed. A few days later, the former French snowboard champion Julie Pomagalski, 40, was also swept away by…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.