Avalanche Risks When Skiing Off-Piste: The Safety Basics
Marked and open slopes are secured against avalanches; off-piste terrain is not, and skiing there is entirely at your own risk. Even in Türkiye, skiers who went off-piste have lost their lives in avalanches: at Erciyes in 2022 and at Palandöken in 2024. If you are thinking of going off-piste, there are three conditions: reading the avalanche bulletin (on the European scale of 1–5; about half of deaths happen at level 3), everyone in the group carrying a transceiver, probe and shovel, and having learned to use them through training. A buried person's chance of survival is above 90% in the first 10–18 minutes but drops sharply after that; the rescue is up to the friends you are with.
At ski resorts, marked and open slopes are checked by the operator for avalanche risk and closed when necessary. Terrain beyond the piste boundary (off-piste), however, is not checked. Under Erciyes A.Ş.'s rules, off-piste skiing and closed slopes are entirely at your own risk; at Palandöken, the Gendarmerie uses drones to spot people entering areas closed because of avalanches, and fines them.
Avalanches in Türkiye: real incidents
According to the Turkish State Meteorological Service (Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğü, MGM), avalanches occur in Türkiye almost every year. Examples from around ski resorts:
Erciyes (January 2022): A Canadian skier who had gone about 700 metres outside the piste was buried by an avalanche and died.
Palandöken (December 2024): In the Sultan Sekisi area, about 1 km from the ski resort, an avalanche hit members of the national judo team who were training off-piste without permission; one athlete died and four people were injured.
Palandöken (February 2025): An avalanche triggered by skiers who had entered the closed Yusuf'un Deresi area reached the north slope; no one was injured, and the skiers were fined.
Bansko (January 2019): Two snowboarders riding off-piste were buried by an avalanche and died.
The avalanche danger scale
The European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS) use a five-level scale:
Level
Name
Meaning
1
Low
Generally stable conditions
2
Moderate
Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features
3
Considerable
Dangerous avalanche conditions
4
High
Very dangerous avalanche conditions
5
Very high
Extraordinary avalanche conditions
According to EAWS, about 50% of avalanche deaths happen at level 3 and about 30% at level 2. In other words, “moderate” and “considerable” are the levels at which people most often go off-piste and have the most accidents. At ski resorts, the danger level is announced on boards and with flashing lights; for details, see our guide How Do You Read a Piste Map? Lifts, Routes and Warnings.
Weather conditions that raise the risk (MGM)
According to the MGM avalanche leaflet, the conditions that increase avalanche risk are:
More than 25 cm of new snow falling at once,
Wind above 7 m/s for more than 24 hours,
Rain falling on the snowpack,
Mild weather lasting more than 36 hours after a blizzard.
In the days after these conditions, off-piste terrain is dangerous even for experienced skiers.
Essential equipment: transceiver, probe, shovel
According to Avalanche Canada, everyone in a group going off-piste should carry three pieces of equipment:
Equipment
What is it for?
Avalanche transceiver
Finding a buried person by signal
Probe
Pinpointing the exact location and depth
Shovel
Digging the person out quickly
This equipment is useless if you don't know how to use it: Avalanche Canada recommends practising before, during and after the season. You should not go off-piste without avalanche training and a guide who knows the area.
Why do minutes matter?
According to a study comparing avalanche accidents in Canada and Switzerland (CMAJ, 2011), the survival rate of completely buried people was:
Burial time
Canada
Switzerland
10 minutes or less
89.5%
93.6%
11–20 minutes
36.2%
71.1%
36 minutes or more
4.0%
16.3%
In other words, the chance of survival is above 90% in the first 10–18 minutes but drops sharply after that. Mountain rescue teams usually cannot get there within this time; the first rescuers are the friends you are with. Another study using Austrian and Swiss data (Resuscitation, 2016) showed that an air pocket in front of the buried person improves survival.
If you are caught in an avalanche (MGM)
Try to get rid of your skis and poles.
Try to stay on the surface with swimming movements.
Before the avalanche stops, bring one hand in front of your mouth and nose to create an air space.
The golden rule on a ski holiday: stay on the piste
On a recreational ski holiday, the safest rule is simple: stay on marked and open slopes. However tempting powder snow may be, going off-piste without training and equipment is a life-threatening risk. On an activity holiday, the group leader and instructors keep track of open slopes and closed areas; on Doğadayız programmes, too, our advice is clear: stay with the group on open, marked slopes. This set-up, in which the group provides safety, is also part of what makes our programmes a social adventure holiday.
Doğadayız Packages
Doğadayız packages for your level
Winter activity holidays with accommodation, ski pass and equipment included, shared with a group.
The easiest way to learn to ski: a winter activity holiday
An activity holiday puts a sport at the heart of your trip: transport, accommodation and meals are planned, so you can focus on learning on the slopes. On Doğadayız winter activity holidays, accommodation, ski pass and ski or snowboard equipment are included in every package; course packages include basic lessons with instructors affiliated with the Turkish Ski Federation, while experience packages let you practise on the slopes at your own level.
What makes the programme different is the group: sharing the slopes with people at a similar level, dinners and nights out together, and a group leader by your side at all times. Solo travellers become part of this social adventure holiday from day one. That is why we describe our programmes as a social adventure holiday.
Yes, because of the avalanche risk. Marked and open slopes are checked for avalanches; off-piste terrain is not. In Türkiye, there have been incidents at Erciyes and Palandöken in which people who went off-piste died in avalanches.
What are the avalanche danger levels?
The European scale has five levels: 1 low, 2 moderate, 3 considerable, 4 high, 5 very high. About half of avalanche deaths happen at level 3 and about a third at level 2.
What equipment do you need off-piste?
Everyone in the group needs to carry an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel. Learning to use this equipment through training and practising regularly are essential.
How long can someone buried in an avalanche survive?
According to Canadian and Swiss data, the survival rate in the first 10 minutes is above 90%; at 11–20 minutes it drops to 36% in Canada and 71% in Switzerland. That is why the first rescuers are the friends you are with.
A piste map has three layers: lifts (gondolas, chairlifts, drag lifts and magic carpets; usually straight lines), runs (blue, red and black by difficulty; often numbered) and services (rental, first aid, restaurants, meeting points). When reading the map, first find where you are and your return point, then the runs that suit your level and the lifts that take you up to them. The live board at the resort entrance shows which lifts and runs are open (green) or closed (red) and any avalanche warning; plan your day accordingly.
If there is an accident on the slopes, first secure the scene: plant your skis crossed about 10 metres above the injured person (lay a snowboard down with the bindings facing down) so that people coming from above can see you. Then call for help: in Türkiye, call 112 for all emergencies, or alert the nearest lift attendant and the ski patrol. If a serious injury is possible, do not move the injured person; keep them warm and stay with them. Under the rules of the International Ski Federation, everyone has a duty to help in an accident, and everyone involved in or witnessing an accident must exchange identification details.
A whiteout, as defined by the American Meteorological Society, is an optical phenomenon in which the observer appears to be engulfed in a uniformly white glow: over unbroken snow cover under a uniformly overcast sky, shadows, the horizon and clouds disappear, and the sense of depth and direction is lost. According to the UK Met Office, the risk increases when fog or mist combines with widespread snow cover. When skiing, this means not being able to see the gradient, the bumps or the edge of the slope. When visibility worsens, slow down, stay on the marked slope near the markers along its edge, and switch to a slope one level easier; if visibility is very poor, ski down to the nearest lift station and call it a day.
