Europe's deadliest ski season... why ARE we having so many avalanches?

"This winter has been dubbed Europe's deadliest ski season on record, with avalanches claiming 86 lives in the first two months of the year alone. In the Italian Alps, 13 climbers, hikers, skiers, and snowboarders were killed in a single week - more than any other week on record. Meanwhile, in France, 28 people have been killed this winter in the popular Valloire area - including two British skiers."

"According to scientists, a perfect mix of weather patterns and the popularity of off-piste skiing are to blame for the slew of deadly snowslides. Frederic Jarry, project manager at the French National Association for the Study of Snow and Avalanches, told the Daily Mail: 'This is a winter unlike any we've experienced in the past few years.' Skiers are facing snow with a soft, crumbly layer trapped beneath a heavy slab known as a 'persistent weak layer', experts explain."

"According to the European Avalanche Warning Services, which tracks avalanche fatalities, an average of 100 people die in European avalanches each year. However, avalanches claimed 77 lives in the first six weeks of 2026 alone, with the death toll now standing at 86. France has recorded the highest toll so far with 25 deaths, followed by Italy with 21 and Austria with 14, while Switzerland has lost nine and Spain eight."

This winter has been Europe's deadliest, with avalanches killing 86 people in the first two months. Thirteen climbers, hikers, skiers and snowboarders died in a single week in the Italian Alps, and 28 people died in the Valloire area of France. A mix of weather patterns and increased off-piste skiing created persistent weak layers: a soft, crumbly layer beneath a heavy slab. Fully developed avalanches can contain up to one million tonnes of snow and reach about 200mph. Fatalities have occurred across the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians and the Sierra Nevada. European Avalanche Warning Services records an average of about 100 deaths per year; 77 occurred in the first six weeks of 2026.

Read at Mail Online