Snow avalanches usually claim around 100 lives annually in Europe.
However, the 2025/26 season saw a sharp rise, with fatalities reaching 136, well above the average and up from 70 the previous year, according to the latest data from the European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS).
Italy took had the highest rate of fatalities this year, with 38 deaths, followed by 32 in France, 30 in Austria, and 15 in Switzerland. Other deaths occurred in Andorra, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
The deadliest avalanche occurred on 1 November at Cima Vertana in Italy, where it struck a group of mountaineers and claimed a total of five lives.
A study co-conducted by Dr. Lander Van Tricht, a professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and ETH Zurich, shows that the rising number of avalanche fatalities is linked to climate change. “Global warming is destabilising glaciers and steep mountain slopes worldwide”, he explains.
Recent disasters and the surge in deaths are therefore a direct consequence of accelerated ice melt and increasingly unstable slopes.
He adds: “We cannot prevent hazards from occurring, but we can drastically reduce their impact by monitoring unstable slopes, responding to early warning signals and ensuring
communities know how to act.”
The European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS) begin tracking avalanche fatalities each year from 1 October, gathering data from their members and partner organisations.
