“Bad luck!” The director of the Grimentz-Zinal ski lifts, Pascal Bourquin, has no other words to describe the avalanche that started on Thursday just above a marked trail in Andermatt (UR ). Six people were taken before being rescued. An event which obviously recalls the flow which also touched a marked trail in February in Crans-Montana (VS) and which cost the life of a patrol boat.
Also read: To love the mountain is to obey its rules
“It is very rare for an avalanche to cross a runway,” insists Pascal Bourquin. Statistics from the Institute for the Study of Snow and Avalanches (SLF) prove him right. Since 1996, cases where skiers have been buried can be counted on the fingers of both hands. “When I see what happened in Andermatt, it hurts me,” reacts the manager, who adds that it is difficult to understand how the flow started.
Imprudence
On the videos circulating on the internet, it seems that a freerider was at the top of the avalanche at the time when it started. A spokesman for the Iranian police told the Blick on Friday that this off-piste skier is currently wanted. It would not be the first time that a careless person started a runway. It happened in Zermatt (VS) and Anzère (VS) in 2009. Convictions followed. This type of incident is the fear of ski resorts. “We are securing the slopes to protect them against spontaneous avalanches, but there is always the danger that someone will trigger one,” says Laurent Vaucher, director of Téléverbier.
Beyond this type of unforeseeable contingencies, there is no question of taking the slightest risk. It is not worth the effort. “If there is any doubt about security, we do not open,” says Laurent Vaucher. Tracks were closed in Verbier (VS) on Friday due to the wind. Same thing at Grimentz-Zinal. The Andermatt avalanche does not change the established processes. “We reassess the situation daily, sometimes several times a day, and do mining if necessary,” reassures Pascal Bourquin.
Does economic pressure not encourage us to open as much as possible, especially during this Christmas holiday period? “These are journalistic theories,” sweeps the director of the Grimentz-Zinal lifts. Even if there is always a desire to open, “at the end of the day, it is the security chief who has the last word,” confirms Thierry Meyer, president of the Association romande des patrouilleurs. “In Verbier, for example, the managers of the ski area will not open the lifts until it is in order at altitude. They know very well that, if they open, people will go everywhere. An hour later, there is not a single trace left. It’s the rush, people are half crazy. ”
Explosive weekend
With the snowfall abundant and the sun announced, this weekend promises to be explosive. “People will want to go everywhere, anticipates Thierry Meyer. We repeat the same calls for caution every year, there are always skiers or snowboarders to look for complications on these slopes. “Given current conditions, only very experienced or accompanied freeriders should venture outside marked trails, also judges snowman Robert Bolognesi. The famous freerider Dominique Perret recalls that the best strategy not to start an avalanche is to avoid it. And for that nothing beats training. “Those who want to go off-piste must take lessons,” advises the adoption Vaudois. “There is nothing we can do against the mad, but we can do a lot for the ignorant.”
Be that as it may, all the actors contacted stress that there is no reason to panic. “We have to put things into perspective, nuance Thierry Meyer. Between the number of glitches like this occurring on the slopes and the number of ski passes sold, the proportion of accidents is ridiculous. It’s nothing compared to car accidents. ”
Collaboration: Patrick Monay
Created: 27.12.2019, 22:42
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