I don’t love writing this kind of piece.
Not because it’s uncomfortable, but because it’s familiar. Too familiar.
As of early 2026, Europe is already seeing an alarmingly high number of avalanche fatalities. This weekend alone added more names to a list that is growing far too fast. France, Switzerland, Austria. Different resorts, different groups, same outcome.
Some of the people caught were experienced. Some were instructors. Some were doing what a lot of us do every winter without a second thought. None of them woke up that morning planning to die in the mountains.
I’m writing this as a snowboard instructor and guide who spends a lot of time talking about risk, terrain and decision making. I’m also writing it as someone who has stood at the bottom of runs watching helicopters come in, knowing exactly what that usually means.
This isn’t about blame. It’s not about lecturing. It’s about slowing down for a minute and being honest about how dangerous things are right now, and why this winter feels different.
If you’re riding in Europe this season, especially outside controlled terrain, this matters.
This Winter Is Not “Normal”
People ask every season if conditions feel sketchy. Some years they do. Some years they don’t.
This winter does.
Across the French Alps, Switzerland and Austria, avalanche bulletins have been flashing the same warnings week after week. Persistent weak layers. Wind loading. Rapid weather changes. Heavy snow sitting on poor structure.
That combination is the worst one we deal with. Not dramatic storm slabs that feel obvious, but deep, stubborn instabilities that wait quietly until they don’t.
Several of the incidents so far this year have involved multiple victims in a single slide. That alone tells you something. These are not small, manageable sluffs. These are full-depth, consequence-heavy avalanches.
When you see that pattern repeating across different regions, it stops being bad luck and starts being a system-wide problem.
Experience Is Not a Shield
A number of the people caught this season were not beginners. Some were instructors. Some had decades in the mountains (including legendary snowboarder Ueli Kestenholz). Some were making what looked like reasonable decisions based on familiarity.
Experience helps. It really does. But it does not cancel physics.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard some version of “I’ve skied this line for years” or “locals ride this all the time.” That logic does not work. Snowpacks don’t care how many seasons you’ve logged or who you are riding with.
In fact, familiarity can be dangerous. You stop analysing terrain and start seeing it as routine. “Expertise” is the same. Avalanches happen to riders of all abilities .
Why Europe Feels Especially Dangerous Right Now
European terrain adds its own complications.
Steep fall lines. Big alpine bowls. Long runouts. Complex wind effects. You can step a few metres off what feels like a benign line and suddenly be connected to a massive start zone above you.
Add to that the reality that access is often easy. Lifts put you high. Traverses are short. Sidecountry feels casual.
It isn’t.
Several of the fatal incidents this season happened close to resorts, not deep in remote wilderness. That false sense of proximity to safety is something I worry about a lot when teaching.
You are not safer just because you can see a piste.
The Psychological Trap of “Good Snow”
Another uncomfortable truth.
When conditions are good, people push harder. When visibility is clear, snow looks inviting and tracks are everywhere. It becomes emotionally harder to say no.
This winter has had plenty of those days. Blue skies. Cold temps. Soft snow in places that look untouched.
Those are exactly the days when people get caught.
I’ve stood with groups this season where everything felt right. No obvious red flags. No collapsing. No cracking. And still, the snowpack underneath was waiting. I’ve cancelled more off-piste tours this season than ever before. I’d far rather deal with angry or disappointed clients than buried ones.
This Is Not About Fear
I don’t want you to read this and decide never to leave groomers again. Fear-based messaging shuts people down. It doesn’t help. It’s not why I’m writing this.
But I do want people to recalibrate.
If you are riding outside controlled terrain right now, ask yourself:
- Am I relying on habit instead of information?
- Have I actually read the bulletin today, not yesterday?
- Am I choosing terrain because it’s safe, or because it’s familiar?
- If this goes wrong, what happens next?
- Do all members of my group have an avalanche transceiver? Have they all been properly trained in their use, including simulated rescues?
If you don’t like the answers, that’s your signal.
Turning around is not weakness.
To the People We’ve Lost
Behind every statistic is a family, friends, partners, kids, colleagues. People who are now having the worst phone call of their lives.
As instructors, guides and riders, the most respectful thing we can do is not shrug and move on. It’s to take these deaths seriously, learn from them and change behaviour where needed. We cannot become desensitised to this.
Mountains will always be there. The people you ride with might not be, if you get this wrong.
What To Do Right Now
Stop treating this winter like a normal one.
If you don’t have avalanche training, you should not be riding uncontrolled terrain. Full stop. And if your training is years old, it’s probably not good enough anymore.
If you ride with people who push on when things feel wrong, find better partners or ride alone inbounds. “Group decision making” can be devastatingly poor. Don’t blindly follow an experienced “leader”. Question everything.
If your beacon lives in your pack and not in regular practice, it’s a false sense of security. Same with shovels and probes. Owning gear is not the same as being prepared.
And on high or very high risk days, don’t go out. Not carefully. Not “just one run.” Don’t go. This season is already showing what happens when people try to negotiate with it.
That’s the reality right now.
Final Thoughts
No one who got caught thought they were making a stupid decision. That’s the part worth sitting with.
If you’re unsure, it’s okay to dial it back. If the snowpack feels weird, it probably is. And if turning around keeps your name out of the next article, that’s a win, even if it doesn’t feel like one at the time.
The mountains don’t need to be conquered right this second. Have fun on the groomers. Spend time with your friends. Be sensible. Stay safe.
