Drastic increase

Sliding snow avalanches are a consequence of climate change

Lots of snow in high regions, rain up high: this combination is causing a record-breaking number of sliding snow avalanches in Tyrol this winter.(Bild: Lawinenwarndienst Tirol)

Snow slabs are the avalanches that pose the greatest danger to winter sports enthusiasts. The number of these sliding snow avalanches in Tyrol this winter is record-breaking. Experts agree that they are also a consequence of global warming. Traffic routes and residential areas are increasingly threatened by them.

If you drive through the country, you will repeatedly discover horizontal cracks in the snow cover on steeper meadow slopes. These are known as "fish mouths". These are the harbingers of sliding snow avalanches. If such an avalanche occurs, the entire snow surface slides right down to the ground.

Winter sports enthusiasts also affected
While sliding snow avalanches were previously mainly a problem for settlements and traffic routes, it is not only this year that winter sports enthusiasts have been affected time and again.