Evolène avalanche
1999 CE.
Shown on the map at 46.117°, 7.500°.
The Evolène avalanche of 21 February 1999, killed 12 people in the Swiss canton of Valais. Just two days later, the larger avalanche of Galtür caused 31 deaths in Austria. Evolène is a commune consisting of several far-flung villages. From Evolène proper (at 1371 m altitude) to Les Haudères (1454 m) and further up to Arolla (2006 m), the valley, situated between Zermatt and Verbier, is a rather little-known tourist destination. The snow buildup being caused by the same weather phenomenon as in the Galtür catastrophe, the avalanche danger was raised in all alpine areas. For the Bernese Oberland, the Swiss institute for avalanche research (SLF) estimated the avalanche danger to be "very large" ("sehr groß"), but only "large" for that part of Valais. After the morning prayer service of 21 February, the person responsible for avalanche safety – a mountain guide with 25 years of experience – announced to the mayor that he performed an analysis of the snow structure at the village of La Sage (1727 m), and that he deemed the avalanche danger to be "very large" (which required the evacuation of un-reinforced buildings in certain areas, and the closure of certain roads).
Text from the Wikipedia article Evolène avalanche, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.