On Tuesday, the Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety in Innsbruck presented the figures on accidents in the Alps for the past year 2023: most deaths occurred while hiking, followed by forestry accidents.
The Austrian Alpine Safety Council (ÖKAS) has been managing an electronic accident database since 2005. At the touch of a button, everything you need to know about Alpine accidents throughout Austria is displayed. In calendar year 2023, this was filled more intensively than ever before. “We have registered around 10,000 accidents in the Alps nationwide,” Hans Ebner, head of the Austrian Alpine Police, said at an ÖKAS press conference in Innsbruck. For comparison: the 10-year average shows “only” 8,171 accidents.
266 deaths across Austria
However, when the deaths are taken into account, an opposite trend emerges. In the local mountains, 266 people died, about twenty fewer than average.
The same development occurred in Tyrol: 88 people died (average 102) in 4,484 accidents (3,652 over a ten-year period). The number of people who have recovered injured or uninjured is also above the long-term average. The fact that most fatal accidents occurred while hiking/mountain climbing is not new. It is also not new that cardiovascular failure was the cause of the most deaths in the Alps (78 in Austria).
However, the 2023 forestry accidents have shaken up the statistics. “They kept going up. With 34 fatalities, this discipline is in second place in the statistics for the first time,” says ÖKAS director Matthias Knaus. When it comes to the number of accidents in the Alps, forestry accidents are already between a quarter and a third. “Climate change plays a role in this context,” says Knaus. “Strong winds or storms cause more damaged wood, requiring more forestry work – resulting in accidents.” He advises to only do woodwork in the forest if you have received appropriate training beforehand.
Fewer avalanche accidents
Surprisingly, the number of avalanche accidents has decreased slightly in 2023. However, the number of ski accidents following collisions increased. “However, this trend only applies to the winter of 2022/2023,” emphasizes Tomas Woldrich, head of the popular sports department of the Austrian Ski Association. The reason was the terrible snow conditions. In short, a poor assessment of one’s own skills is often the cause of accidents on the slopes.
Poor preparation
Alpine police officer Ebner points to inadequate preparation and travel planning as the reason for the increased number of accidents on site. And ÖKAS boss Knaus advises mountain enthusiasts to regularly do a performance ECG. This could reduce the number of cardiovascular deaths.
Source: Krone
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