Avalanches kill 8 skiers in Austria despite "clear and repeated warnings"
Three avalanches across Austria killed eight skiers, authorities said, as hazardous snowslides continue to claim lives around the world in the first month of 2026.
A female skier was fatally buried by an avalanche in the Bad Hofgastein area in western Austria, at an altitude of about 7,200 feet, around 12:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the Pongau mountain rescue service.
Roughly 90 minutes later, an avalanche in nearby Gastein Valley, south of the city of Salzburg, swept away seven people. Four were killed, two seriously injured and one escaped unharmed.
In the town of Pusterwald in central Austria, three Czech skiers were killed in an avalanche shortly before 4:30 p.m., police said. Four of their companions were evacuated to safety.
Four rescue helicopters, mountain rescue and Red Cross dog teams, and a crisis intervention team were rushed to the scene.
"This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is," said Gerhard Kremser, district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service, noting the "clear and repeated warnings" about avalanche risk.
On Tuesday, an avalanche killed a 13-year-old Czech skiing off-piste in the Austrian Alpine resort of Bad Gastein.
Last Sunday, 58-year-old ski tourer died in an avalanche in the Tyrolean resort of Weerberg in western Austria.
Deadly avalanches around the world this month
In neighboring Switzerland, a German man was killed in an avalanche, and four other people were hurt, as they were cross-country skiing on Friday.
Last weekend in France, six skiers died after being caught in avalanches in various Alpine resorts.
At least four people in the U.S. West have been killed by avalanches this month.
Last week, a snowmobiler died after he was buried by an avalanche in Wyoming.
That incident unfolded two days after two men were killed in an avalanche in central Washington state.
Earlier this month, a snowmobiler in California's Sierra Nevada died after being buried by an avalanche.
Each winter, 25 to 30 people are killed by avalanches in the U.S., according to the National Avalanche Center.