health
February 22, 2026
Less snow, or more risk? What you need to know about avalanches and climate change
Rising temperatures are forcing some ski resorts to close, while leaving others at greater risk of extreme weather
TL;DR
- Avalanches kill approximately 100 people annually in Europe.
- Risk factors include snow structure, slope angle, weather, and weak layers in the snowpack.
- Fatalities have broadly remained steady over four decades, with a slight decrease in recent years.
- Increased off-track skiing has not led to more deaths due to better warnings and safety equipment.
- Climate change is expected to make avalanches smaller and less common, but may increase the magnitude of heavy snowfall events at high elevations.
- Warmer temperatures could lead to avalanches with denser, wetter snow, increasing their impact.
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