Skier Triggered avalanche Courchevel 13th December 2020
Here we see some skiers entering an area that is normally pisted and patrolled, but is not now due to COVID closures.
Why does it release? It is a potent combination that makes it so unstable.
A weak layer due to a long period of November dry cold weather on north facing slopes, this rotted the old snow. The new snow sits on top of this. There is no skier compaction, so it is virgin new snow which is less stable. There is no ski patrol to blast the slopes.
Now going onto slopes that you are familiar with when usually nothing happens due to skier compaction and piste security blasting can be deceiving. The familiarity leads to complacency as you might head down something without doing a proper assessment.
There is no avalanche danger rating in the resort to alert you to the level of risk.
As far as we can see on the video the skiers headed off down a slope that is usually a piste. This could have given them a sense of security.
Fortunately, they were good skiers and got out fast. But they did not help the situation by all setting off at the same time. It is not clear whether one skier or several skiers triggered the release. But the avalanche did then trigger other avalanches in the bowl, especially to the skiers right of the lift.
Have fun, stay safe.
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