Avalanches are one of the principal natural hazards in alpine regions, frequently resulting in property damage and fatalities. This paper indicates and analyses avalanche accidents and particularly avalanche fatalities within the last 70 years in Austria. While from 1946/47 to 1980/81 accidents due to catastrophic avalanches prevailed, the following period (1981/82 to 2015/16) was characterised by a predominance of backcountry avalanche accidents and a decrease of catastrophic avalanches. That declining trend is the result of comprehensive mitigation measures in Austria, which were implemented as a consequence of the major avalanche events in the 1950s. In particular, the number of disastrous avalanche events (events with five or more fatalities) decreased significantly. Although a few disastrous events also occurred in the backcountry, the vast majority of avalanche accidents caused only one or two fatalities. However, the number of avalanche fatalities did not change significantly, while the number of skiers and mountaineers has increased considerably in the last 20 to 30 years. Compared to off-piste fatalities, avalanche deaths due to backcountry skiing were clearly predominant in the 1980s. This relation decreased over the years, or in other words, the rate of off-piste fatalities (in proportion to backcountry fatalities) increased, relatively speaking; however, a clear trend could not be found. Wet avalanches; Avalanche pressure; Gravitational pressure; Granular flow Highlights: This paper deals with avalanche accidents in Austria since 1946/47. The manuscript includes an analysis of the major disastrous events. The study investigates backcountry and tourist avalanches (in particular avalanche fatalities) in the period 1981/82 to 2015/16.
