Avalanches, as the avalanche centres publish them.

The danger scales

Avalanche centres in Europe and North America both publish a five-level public danger scale. The numbers match; the name of the top level differs.

North America

• Avalanche.org says ratings are typically issued for three elevation bands, and that danger rises sharply at the higher levels even though the levels are numbered evenly.
• Avalanche Canada's AvySavvy course uses the same five-level scale and says that, historically, the most avalanche deaths occurred when the danger was rated considerable.
• A search summary of a Montana State University archive item says the five-level scale was developed in Europe in 1993, introduced to North America in 1994 and revised in 2005 towards a single North American standard. That history is unconfirmed; the item was not read.

Europe: the 2018/19 scale and the pending revision

• In force. The scale document on the European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS) site is headed "European Avalanche Danger Scale (2018/19)" (a title seen in search results; the PDF itself was not read). EAWS says its main purpose is to help its members prevent loss of life and damage from avalanches through forecasting and warning.
• Deaths by level. EAWS attributes around 50 percent of avalanche deaths to level 3 (Considerable), around 30 percent to level 2, around 10 percent to level 4 and around 5 percent to level 1; it gives no figure for level 5. The Swiss SLF reports that most Swiss avalanche accidents from 2015/16 to 2024/25 happened at level 3, and adds that this does not reflect an individual's risk.
• The 2025 vote. At its General Assembly at Seggau, Austria, on 24 to 26 June 2025 (86 participants from 19 countries and 29 warning services), EAWS voted to accept a proposal for a new European scale and send it to consultation. It rejected black as the colour for level 5 and accepted dark red. The stated aim is to harmonise with North America within national European constraints. The summary's title calls it the 22nd General Assembly and its first paragraph the 21st.
• The timetable. EAWS planned consultation from September 2025 to April 2026, revision in May and July to August 2026, a final vote at an extraordinary virtual General Assembly at the end of October 2026, and introduction of an accepted scale by winter 2027/28.
• Status on 26 October 2026. No result of the final vote had been found. The 2018/19 scale remains the one in force until EAWS publishes otherwise.

The Swedish and Ukrainian avalanche warning services became EAWS members in 2025, after three-year qualifying periods.

Deaths in the United States

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) publishes US avalanche deaths by avalanche year:

• Averages. CAIC gives an average of 23 deaths a winter over the last ten winters, and a five-season average of 21.6 at 2025-26.
• States. From 1950-51 to 2025-26 CAIC counts the most deaths in Colorado (328), Alaska (179), Utah (142), Washington (141) and Montana (130). For 2016-17 to 2025-26 the leading states are Colorado (54), Alaska (28), Utah (26), Idaho (24) and Washington (22).
• Activity. For 2016-17 to 2025-26 the largest groups are backcountry tourers (89), snowmobilers (67), sidecountry riders (15), climbers (12) and residents (9). Over 1950-51 to 2025-26 they are backcountry tourers (350), snowmobilers (314), climbers (194), sidecountry riders (116) and hikers (60).
• 2024-25 in detail. The CSAC Avalanche Center, a non-governmental archive, lists 19 fatal incidents and 22 deaths, matching CAIC's total; 4 incidents and 6 deaths were non-recreational (one ski-patrol, one heli-ski, one cat-ski and one privately guided incident).
• Colorado 2025-26. The Colorado Sun's coroner survey recorded one avalanche death in Colorado that season.

The counts and averages differ by source. For 2023-24, CAIC's current table gives 16 deaths, while PlanetSKI's report of 6 May 2024, citing CAIC, gave 13; the later table is likely the more complete. CAIC's ten-year average is 23; the same 2024 report gave a 20-year average of 26.2; and a National Avalanche Center and Forest Service overview is reported in a search excerpt to say 25 to 30 people die each US winter (unconfirmed; the PDF could not be read). A 2016 Avalanche.org analysis, seen only in a search summary, found the US trend from 1994-95 to 2015-16 statistically flat.

Deaths in Canada

• The database. Avalanche Canada launched a national fatal avalanche incidents database on 12 December 2025, funded by a three-year grant from Public Safety Canada's Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund. It covers known deaths back to the 18th century, with expert analyses for most incidents since 1955. The announcement gives the start year both as 1782 and as 1792.
• Average. At the launch Avalanche Canada was reported as giving an average of 10.8 deaths a year (period not stated), most of them in March, then January and February.
• 2023-24. PlanetSKI, citing Avalanche Canada, gave 9 deaths: 3 each in British Columbia, Quebec and Alberta; 4 snowbikers, 2 snowmobilers, 2 skiers and 1 ice climber, against an average of 10 a year.

No Avalanche Canada total for 2024-25 or 2025-26 was found.

Deaths in Switzerland and Europe

• Long term. The SLF (WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research) gives a mean of 24 avalanche deaths a year in Switzerland over the 89 years since 1936/37, a current 20-year mean of 21 and a highest 20-year mean of 31. It counts by hydrological year, 1 October to 30 September.
• Who dies. The SLF says deaths in buildings and on transport routes have fallen over the long term and that most deaths now involve people in backcountry or off-piste activities. It also reports that people swept along but not completely buried die of serious injuries in at least 1 in 7 cases.
• Europe, 2023-24 (unconfirmed). PlanetSKI reported 18 deaths in Switzerland, 13 in France, 10 in Italy and 8 in Austria, 63 across Europe, against a European seasonal average of around 100. It named no issuing body.

No SLF total for 2024/25 or 2025/26 was taken from its tables.

Avalanche courses, named only

These are the course structures the bodies publish. Their content is taught on the courses and is not described here.

• AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education). Its recreational sequence is Avalanche Awareness, Avalanche Rescue, AIARE 1, the AIARE 1 Refresher and AIARE 2, which requires AIARE 1 and Avalanche Rescue or an equivalent. It also runs professional courses starting with AIARE PRO 1, and separate courses for motorised users. Courses are taught through certified providers in 13 US states and in Argentina, France and China.
• Avalanche Canada. Its courses include AST 1, the AST 1 Refresher, Companion Rescue Skills, Managing Avalanche Terrain, AST 1+ (combining AST 1 and Managing Avalanche Terrain) and AST 2. Avalanche Canada designs the AST courses, licenses independent providers to deliver them with instructors who must belong to the Canadian Avalanche Association, and says it does not supervise the instructors or their courses. A search excerpt of its training page says its free online tutorial, AvySavvy, is not a substitute for an AST 1 course.

What the standards for transceivers, probes, shovels and avalanche airbags cover is on avalanche equipment standards. EN 16716, the avalanche airbag standard, says itself that it does not consider protection against impact or cold.