Analysis of avalanche risk factors in backcountry terrain based on usage  frequency and accident data in Switzerland

Techel, F.; Zweifel, B.; Winkler, K.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-1985-2015

Articles | Volume 15, issue 9

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-1985-2015

© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-1985-2015

© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 15, issue 9

Research article

|

09 Sep 2015

Research article |

| 09 Sep 2015

Analysis of avalanche risk factors in backcountry terrain based on usage frequency and accident data in Switzerland

F. Techel, B. Zweifel, and K. Winkler

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Final revised paper (published on 09 Sep 2015)
Preprint (discussion started on 13 Aug 2014)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment

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- Supplement

RC C2038: 'avalanche risk', Anonymous Referee #1, 10 Sep 2014
RC C3668: 'RC to "Avalanche risk in backcountry terrain based on usage frequency and accident data" Author(s): F. Techel et al.', Anonymous Referee #2, 27 Apr 2015
AC C3791: 'reply to reviewer's comments on "Avalanche risk in backcountry terrain based on usage frequency and accident data"', Frank Techel, 28 May 2015
- AC C3795: 'references to reply by Techel et al.', Frank Techel, 28 May 2015

Short summary

We present a spatiotemporal picture of winter backcountry usage in the Swiss Alps and compare this with the distribution of avalanche accidents. Critical avalanche danger conditions and an unfavorable snowpack (old snow problem) strongly increase the risk of winter backcountry recreationists to be involved in a severe avalanche accident. This explains why there are comparably more accidents in the inneralpine regions with less activity.