A 40-year-old freerider has been found dead after being buried in an avalanche near Plattenspitze, following an extensive two-day search involving around 60 mountain rescuers in Austria’s Salzburg region.
The skier, from Slovakia, was reported missing Friday afternoon, April 3, after failing to return from a backcountry tour in the mountains above Obertauern — a well-known ski destination popular with both resort skiers and backcountry enthusiasts.
Search efforts began Friday evening, with 15 rescuers deployed alongside police and rescue helicopters equipped with night vision technology. Crews were able to identify an avalanche path, but strong winds prevented helicopters from landing. According to Christian Binggl, operations manager of the mountain rescue Obertauern, a trail leading into the north-east slope where the avalanche had struck could be observed, but none leading out of it. Unfortunately, due to the difficult conditions, the search was suspended just after midnight and resumed early Saturday morning, April 4, with significantly expanded resources.
By Saturday, a large-scale operation was underway, involving rescue teams from across the Pongau and Lungau regions, avalanche dog units, Alpine police, and Red Cross support crews. In total, about 60 rescuers were deployed. Rescuers identified the single set of tracks leading into a northeast-facing slope and started the lengthy search.
At approximately 10:50 a.m., the missing skier was located in the avalanche debris, buried around 2.5 meters (over 8 feet) deep. He was found using a RECCO detection system and avalanche probes. Rescue officials confirmed he had died at the scene.
According to the mountain rescue Obertauern, the avalanche occurred in open, uncontrolled terrain and measured roughly 150 meters (490 feet) wide and 200 meters (650 feet) long. The skier had deployed his avalanche airbag but was not carrying an avalanche transceiver — a critical piece of safety equipment that significantly increases the chances of a rapid rescue.
The avalanche was triggered at Level 2 (“moderate”) danger, a rating often misunderstood by backcountry users. While lower than higher danger levels, Level 2 conditions still account for a significant number of avalanche accidents, particularly on specific aspects and terrain features where instability persists.
Obertauern is one of Austria’s most snow-reliable ski areas, sitting at elevations between roughly 1,630 and 2,300 meters (5,350–7,550 feet). The resort is known for its high alpine terrain, consistent snowfall, and easy access to backcountry routes directly from lift-served areas.
While the resort itself offers controlled slopes and avalanche mitigation, the surrounding terrain — including peaks like Plattenspitze — is unmanaged and requires full backcountry preparedness. Popular ski touring routes in the region often traverse steep alpine faces similar to where the avalanche occurred.
Bergrettung Obertauern stresses the importance of carrying essential gear — avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel — and making conservative decisions, even when overall danger levels appear manageable.
This latest fatality takes the death toll in Austria to now 31 deaths, more than double the 10-year average of 15.1 deaths per year. Europe has now seen more than 140 deaths for the season, the second highest number of deaths in the last two decades.
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