One of the deadliest ski seasons this decade claims 10 dead

 Rome- At least 10 people lost their lives in the Alps last weekend, no less than eight of the victims' deaths came after several avalanches struck in the Alpine region overlapping western Austria and northern Italy, according to mountain rescue services. 

 Among the victims in Austria, is a 17-year-old boy from New Zealand who was skiing off-piste and was struck by an avalanche near the Kaltenbach region, the other victims were found near Otzal and Vorarlberg according to the Austrian police. 

 The other deaths have been due to several other accidents, including a 36-year-old South Tyrolean, Patrick Bernard, who collided with a snowboarder in Val d’Ultimo, Northern Italy. According to the Italian police, the Schwemmalm ski center, near Merano, had been very popular this season, but on Saturday the climatic conditions were harsh, with strong gusts of winds reaching 140km per hour, however, on Sunday it was very sunny and the winds died down incentivizing many skiers to hit the pistes. The Mutegg slope is among the more challenging for local and expert skiers, such as Bernard, and comes with many pitfalls, especially with the natural snow which had been perfectly groomed in the morning. 

 During the descent, Bernard collided brutally with another snowboarder, causing him to lose control and fall down. During the fall he lost his helmet, causing him to suffer several fatal head injuries. 

 Doctors and nurses who were onsite rushed to aid immediately, and the Pelican Air Service arrived within minutes, however, due to the immediate harm caused by the collision, despite long attempts at resuscitation, he died almost instantly.

 Several other sportsmen also died in a number of other avalanches that took place in Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. In Valle Aurina, a 32-year-old local, Simon Forer was tragically killed by an avalanche off-piste, whilst another 31-year-old German Mountaineer was found dead on Alpe di Fanes. In Germany, A 32-year-old Chinese man and a 52-year-old man were also killed off-piste in Solden and Kleinwalsertal valley. The latest victims in the series of winter-sport-related deaths were a 56-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man who were skiing off-piste and were consequently killed by an avalanche in Canton of Grisons, in the southeast of the country, police said. The number of deaths remains unclear with many conflicting reports but at least ten have been confirmed dead.  

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