Record 13 deaths in Italian Alps as Winter Olympics take place nearby

A record 13 skiers, climbers, and hikers have died in the Italian mountains over the past week, rescuers have confirmed.

Ten of those fatalities were attributed to avalanches, triggered by an exceptionally unstable snowpack, even as Winter Olympic competitions began in the area.

Italy’s alpine rescuers said that fresh snowfall from recent storms, combined with wind-swept snowcaps resting on weak internal layers, has created particularly hazardous conditions across the entire Alpine crescent, which borders France, Switzerland, and Austria.

“Under such conditions, the passage of a single skier, or natural overloading from the weight of snow, can be sufficient to trigger an avalanche,” Federico Catania, spokesman for Italy’s Alpine Rescue Corps, warned.

The avalanche-related deaths occurred on ungroomed slopes, distinct from the well-maintained and monitored Olympic sites in Lombardy near the Swiss border, Cortina d’Ampezzo in Veneto, and the cross-country skiing venues in Val di Fiemme, within the autonomous province of Trentino.

“There is no danger for people skiing within managed ski reports, and in particular no risks to the Olympic sites,’’ Mr Catania said.

“All of these areas are constantly monitored and are generally safe regardless of Olympic events.’’

With a spate of recent snowstorms creating periods of inclement weather, excursionists have been rushing to the mountains during brief windows of good weather, “and as a result the number of accidents, and therefore fatalities, has increased proportionally”, Mr Catania said.

Rescuers advise backcountry excursionists to heed avalanche bulletins and to delay outings until the snowpack has consolidated.

Over the weekend alone, two skiers died in avalanches in Lombardy, three in Trentino and one in neighboring South Tyrol. They included two who died in separate avalanches in the area of the Marmolada glacier.

The deaths also included two hikers on Monte Grappa Veneto and in the Marche region along the Appenine range, and an ice climber in Valle d'Aosta.

The same Alpine Rescue Corps also carried out the helicopter rescue of US downhill skier Lindsey Vonn, after she crashed during competition in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday.