Skier dies in Austrian Alps avalanche

Avalanches killed a skier and seriously injured two others in the Austrian Alps today after experts warned that recent storms have created unstable conditions ripe for more snow slides.

An avalanche in Lech am Arlberg in the south-western province of Voralberg killed a skier and critically injured two others who were taken by helicopter to hospital.

Mountain rescue teams used dogs to find the victims after a 30-minute search.

An earlier avalanche that swept down a mountainside in St. Gallenkirch, also in Voralberg, trapped an attendant in snow so deep it took rescue workers half an hour to free him.

The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment for shock and exposure but was not seriously injured.

A crust of new snow ranging in depth from six to 18 inches has rendered key skiing and hiking areas “particularly accident-prone,” said officials with the Avalanche Warning Service in the western province of Tyrol.

Conditions were especially acute in the northern Alps in and around Kitzbuehel, a top resort area that draws tens of thousands of skiers and snowboarders.