30 people died

Fewer alpine deaths in winter 2023/2024 in Tyrol

Avalanche accident in St. Leonhard in Pitztal at Christmas 2023: The victim is still buried under the still huge masses of snow.

(Bild: ZOOM.TIROL)

Between November 1st and April 1st, 30 people died in the Tyrolean mountains. A year ago, there were 47 fatalities. One expert attributes the decline to the relatively low number of avalanche deaths.

However, these statistics from the Austrian Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety (ÖKAS) do not include the three avalanche victims in Vent from the previous week. The 10-year average shows 42 deaths, and in previous years more people died in Tyrol's mountains (exception: coronavirus winter 2020/2021).

Relatively few avalanche deaths
Stefan Hochstaffl, President of the Federal Mountain Rescue Association, explains the decline with the relatively low number of avalanche fatalities. Explanation: "The touring conditions were often good."

We had relatively few avalanche fatalities during this period because the conditions were often good.

Stefan Hochstaffl, Präsident des Bundesverbands der Bergrettung

Bild: ÖBRD

Almost 2400 injured
2155 alpine accidents were registered in Tyrol, compared to the ten-year average of 2093. 2378 people were injured in total. This figure is also in line with the ten-year average (2257).

Tyrol with the most alpine accidents
Austria-wide, the number of fatalities (106) is close to the ten-year average (109), and the number of accidents and injuries does not deviate significantly from the average. Most alpine accidents occurred in Tyrol. Most fatalities occurred on pistes and ski routes. Cardiovascular disorders turned out to be the number 1 cause of death among alpine fatalities.