Italy’s deadly avalanche season continued this week, with two experienced ski mountaineers losing their lives in separate incidents in the country’s northern Alps, bringing the national toll to 40 fatalities — one of the highest in more than a decade.
The first tragedy unfolded on Easter Sunday in South Tyrol, near the high-alpine terrain above Val di Vizze, not far from the ski touring areas surrounding Cima Grava. Cesare Zilio, 36, was skinning up when a large avalanche released around 11 a.m. According to CNSAS, the avalanche was around 200 meters (656 feet) wide and 800 meters (2,625 feet) long.
The avalanche carried him hundreds of meters downhill and buried him beneath approximately 1.5 meters of snow. A witness alerted emergency services, triggering a major rescue response involving alpine rescue teams and helicopters. Zilio was located using an avalanche transceiver and recovered by more than 20 rescuers, including a canine unit. Despite being airlifted to hospital in Bolzano in critical condition — suffering severe trauma, hypothermia, and cardiac arrest — he died three days later on Wednesday, April 8.
The Italian avalanche association indicated that elevated temperatures over the Easter weekend contributed to unstable snow conditions. At the time, the regional avalanche warning was rated “considerable” (Level 3), meaning human-triggered avalanches were likely, particularly on sun-exposed slopes as warming intensified.
Val di Vizze sits within South Tyrol’s backcountry touring zone near the Austrian border, an area popular with experienced ski mountaineers seeking long alpine lines outside controlled ski resorts. While nearby lift-served areas like Rosskopf Ski Area offer managed terrain, the surrounding backcountry remains unpatrolled and highly sensitive to changing conditions.
A second fatal avalanche occurred Wednesday morning in the Lagorai range of Trentino, on the northern slopes of Castel di Bombasel at approximately 2,370 meters (7,776 feet). Werner Degiampietro, 46, an experienced ski mountaineer and off-duty piste rescue officer, was reported missing after failing to arrive for work. He had told colleagues he planned a morning tour in the area before his shift.
Rescue teams quickly located the avalanche site during an aerial search, spotting his skis protruding from the snow. He was recovered shortly after, but rescuers could only confirm his death at the scene.
Like the South Tyrol incident, this avalanche is believed to have been triggered by rapid warming and unstable spring snowpack conditions. The avalanche danger in the region was also rated at Level 3 (“considerable”) at the time — most fatal avalanches occur at this level.
The Lagorai range, while less developed than the Dolomites, is known for its remote terrain and popularity among advanced ski tourers. Nearby resorts such as Alpe Cermis provide lift access, but much of the surrounding terrain remains uncontrolled.
Back-to-back tragedies have pushed Italy’s avalanche death toll for the 2025–26 season to 40 — nearly double the 10-year annual average of 21.6. Across Europe, the toll now stands at around 140, making this the second-deadliest avalanche winter in the past two decades, behind only 2009–10, when 194 people lost their lives.
The heightened risk can be traced back to early winter, when initial snowfall was followed by a prolonged dry spell that created a weak, unstable base layer — known as the “old snow problem” (Altschneeproblem). Heavy snowfall periods in late January and February then loaded this fragile foundation, producing dangerous avalanche cycles.
After a relatively quiet March, the risk has surged again in early April. Recent snowfall combined with unusually high spring temperatures has destabilized the snowpack, creating hazardous conditions even as the season typically trends safer for backcountry travel.
Avalanche agencies across Europe are now urging caution, emphasizing that spring conditions this year demand the same level of vigilance as mid-winter.
