Zermatt, Switzerland— Heavy early-season snow triggered a large avalanche above Zermatt on the morning of October 20, 2026, burying a group of skiers and leaving one dead and three hospitalized as mountain rescue teams fought through whiteout conditions.
The slide broke loose around 9:40 a.m. on a slope northwest of the resort, just below the 3,000-meter mark. According to initial reports from Valais cantonal police, a slab about 200 meters wide detached after overnight accumulation of nearly 60 centimeters. Five skiers were caught. Two managed to dig themselves out.
Air Zermatt helicopters were grounded at first by low visibility. Ground teams from the Zermatt Bergbahnen ski patrol and the Swiss Alpine Club reached the debris field on foot with avalanche dogs. Probes and shovels came out immediately.
"We had a very unstable layer sitting under fresh, heavy snow. The risk was marked as considerable," a rescue coordinator said. "The group was off-piste in an area that had not been secured. They triggered the slab."
One victim, a 34-year-old Swiss man, was found without vital signs after being buried for nearly 45 minutes under two meters of snow. Rescuers attempted resuscitation on the slope before transporting him by sled to a landing zone.
Three others were pulled out alive with hypothermia, fractures, and chest trauma. They were flown to hospitals in Visp and Sion once the clouds lifted enough for helicopters to operate. Their conditions were described as serious but stable.
The avalanche danger has been unusually high for October. Weeks of mild weather were followed by a sudden polar front that dumped wet, heavy snow across the southern Alps. The SLF Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research had warned of weak bonding.
Police said the skiers were experienced and equipped with beacons, shovels, and airbag packs. One airbag deployed but was torn by rocks.
The slope remains closed while authorities conduct stability tests. The public prosecutor's office has opened a routine investigation to determine exact circumstances.
Rescue leaders said operations will continue at first light to check for any additional tracks.
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