Avalanches in OZ

Compared to many other mountainous regions of the world, the Australian Alps are relatively benign when it comes to avalanche activity. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no avalanche activity at all, nor that backcountry tourers shouldn’t be aware of the risks slides pose. Yes, in an Australian context, uncontrolled falls on icy slopes, getting lost, creek-crossing mishaps, whiteouts, and hypothermia all pose arguably greater risks, well, at least in terms of casualty numbers. But avalanches nonetheless should be factored into safe winter travel plans in the Aussie Alps, and sadly, too many Aussies are either unaware of the risks, or occasionally, wilfully underplay them.

In particular, last year, 2022, was a year that saw unusually high avalanche activity. Both NSW and Victoria saw glide release avalanches that stripped the snow right to the ground; both states also experienced the formation of a Persistent Weak Layer (PWL) that led to slab avalanches. We’ve put together a selection of images of some of the events, with goal of, firstly, helping to remind winter adventurers that avalanches can and do happen in Australia, and secondly, to encourage those heading backcountry to get knowledgeable, both in terms of a general understanding of avalanches, and by staying abreast of specific conditions by following Mountain Safety Collective’s regular conditions reports.