Caution is advised away from the secured slopes

The snow attracts many winter sports enthusiasts in Switzerland to the mountains, whether for a day or a weekend. The majority chooses to ski on the secured slopes, but more and more athletes want to make their tracks in the untouched landscape.

However, moving around in such terrain is not without danger. According to statistics compiled by the bfu - Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, two snowshoe hikers and 18 touring skiers die in Switzerland every year. The majority are buried by an avalanche. The Avalanche risk is difficult to estimate, as it depends on the current conditions, the terrain and the own behavior is dependent.

Choice of route decisive

Whether with snowshoes or touring skis - the choice of route is the be-all and end-all. This should be adapted to the physical condition of the snow sportsman and include sufficient time reserves. There are various measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of getting caught in an avalanche. Snowshoers are recommended to use signalized and open routes that are secured against avalanches by the operators.

Online planning aid

Touring skiers have with the site www.skitourenguru.ch has an excellent planning tool. Based on daily updated information from the avalanche bulletin of the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, ski tours with low avalanche risk are indicated on the website. For each ski tour, the difference in altitude as well as the difficulty of the route are shown so that tourers can choose a route adapted to their abilities. When leaving the marked and secured slopes, the bfu recommends following these tips:

• Find out about the current avalanche danger, snow conditions and weather.
• Get trained in avalanche awareness and/or join an avalanche knowledgeable guide.

Always take the Emergency equipment (avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe, charged cell phone) with you and practice their correct use regularly.

Text: bfu