Avalanche accidents and fatalities in Austria since 1946/47 with special regard to tourist avalanches in the period 1981/82 to 2015/16

Although a few disastrous events also occurred in the backcountry, the vast majority of avalanche accidents caused only one or two fatalities. However, the number of avalanche fatalities did not change significantly, while the number of skiers and mountaineers has increased considerably in the last 20 to 30 years. Compared to off-piste fatalities, avalanche deaths due to backcountry skiing were clearly predominant in the 1980s. This relation decreased over the years, or in other words, the rate of off-piste fatalities (in proportion to backcountry fatalities) increased, relatively speaking; however, a clear trend could not be found.