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Avalanche Risk Management



Avalanche knowledge and avalanche protection have been a vital tradition in the Swiss and Austrian Alps for centuries. In Alpine populations, avalanche awareness has shaped their identity, as they deal with the threat avalanches pose to inhabitants, tourists, means of communication, and other vital infrastructure.

Avalanche origin and protection techniques have been handed down and preserved throughout the years in the Alps. Due to the densely populated nature of the Alps, avalanches are a prime concern and collective responsibility.

For centuries, inhabitants and highlanders have developed avalanche information, management, and risk-avoidance strategies to guard against avalanche hazards. For example, the inhabitants of Leukerbad built a massive 80-meter wall in 1600 to divert avalanches.

As the number of avalanche incidents developed, so did avalanche risk management. In 1887/1888, more than 1,000 avalanches occurred in Switzerland, leading to the death of 49 people and over 600 animals. The regions most severely affected were Graubünden and Ticino, as well as the Goms region of Valais. Following the disaster, galleries, tunnels, and avalanche barriers were built.

From the early 19th century onward, avalanche defense structures were constructed in avalanche starting zones. Those structures included walls and earthen terraces. Some individuals, such as foresters, pioneered the practice of observing and recording avalanches.

During the 1930s, the Federal Expert Commission for Avalanche Research was founded, and ten years later, the institute's first home was built on Weissfluhjoch, establishing a national platform for scientific research. Its most well-known service, the avalanche bulletin, became a public mission, as did the planning of sustainable land use with the aid of avalanche danger maps.

Combined with the latest technology and cutting-edge science, knowledge handed down for centuries continues to play a significant role in the evaluation of avalanche danger. The use of modern tools, such as measurement instruments and risk mapping, complements traditional knowledge, which is continually developed and adjusted by knowledge bearers on the ground.

This emphasizes the importance of solidarity during crises. There is increasing demand to provide better protection at a lower cost, as well as to produce more precise forecasts. Understanding avalanche risks requires a deep understanding of nature, especially the terrain, snow, weather conditions, and previous avalanches.

While this information was once transferred verbally, it is now based on a dynamic process combining empirical knowledge and practical experience: knowledge is transferred from science to practice, and from the ground to research. Training activities are available, and any interested parties have access to numerous media sources such as avalanche bulletins, the media, checklists, websites, media, manuals, and exhibitions.


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