On 15.01.2026 a person died in the open skiing zone near the secured ski runs of the Silvretta Arena ski area in an avalanche that triggered in very steep terrain. Cause: a marked persistent weak layer.
This tragic avalanche incident again confirms the extremely prone-to-triggering snowpack in some regions.
Course of events
Yesterday, 15.01.2026, a person who had come from the Pardatschgratbahn in the Silvretta Arena ski area left the red-marked ski run no. 7 and skied into open terrain. There, a medium-sized slab avalanche triggered which totally buried the person. The avalanche was apparently not noticed by anyone. When the person did not appear at breakfast on 16.01, a missing-persons report was filed.
In the course of a search-and-rescue operation the search was limited to the area of the Silvretta Arena ski area, where the avalanche was discovered during the morning hours. Soon thereafter the deceased person was able to be dug out. The uncovery of the person was enabled partly by a ski stick jutting out of the avalanche snow, since the person had no emergency avalanche equipment.
The avalanche
The avalanche triggered in Velilltal west of the Bürkelkopf in the Samnaun Massif on an extremely steep north-facing slope at about 2500m altitude. It was a medium-sized, 95m-long and 60-wide slab avalanche with a fracture depth between 20cm and 60cm. The avalanche zone had often been skiied on previously, at least in the area near the ski run. The avalanche came to a halt about 20m before the ski run.
The snowpack
It fits into the overall picture that at the time of the avalanche, the snowpack continued to be highly prone to triggering. The snow which had fallen since last Thursday, 08.01.2026, intermittently amid heavy wind impact, formed the slab, beneath which were marked weak layers composed of faceted and cup-shaped crystals (beneath the rain crust which formed on 08.12.2025). During our stability analysis, blocks of snow triggered either immediately upon being cut or upon being slightly tapped.
Lawinenabgänge im Nahbereich
Coincidentally, we were in the Silvretta on 15.01, the day of the avalanche incident, en route in the Samnaun Massif and also used the Pardatschgratbahn as a lift. During the ascent we noticed several avalanche releases beneath the cablecar which had apparently been triggered by winter sports enthusiasts.
