Avalanche kills five in the Italian Alps.

Five people have been confirmed dead following an avalanche in the Italian Alps on Saturday 1 November 2025. The incident happened at about 4.00 pm local time on Mount Cima Vertana (or Vertainspitze), one of the Ortler Alps of Italy's Alto Adige (or South Tyrol) Province. Two groups of climbers were caught in the event, with all three members of the first group, described as two men and a woman, being swept away. The second group, comprising a father and his 17-year-old daughter, were caught lower down the slope, and were swept downhill about 200 m to their deaths. The event was witnessed by two climbers from a third party, who were above the avalanche when it hit and were able to call for help. All of those involved are understood to have been German nationals.

The route of the 1 November 2025 Cima Vertana avalanche. Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico.

All of the climbers are understood to have been ascending the mountain using ice axes and crampons at the time of the incident. The summit of Cima Vertana is 3545 m above sealevel, making it the 125th highest peak in the Alps. Fog and poor visibility prevented rescue teams from reaching the mountain until some time after dawn on Sunday, with teams with Dogs being airlifted to 2600 m, before continuing the ascent on foot. A representative of the Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico has questioned why climbers were ascending the mountain so late in the day, since even a successful ascent would have led to to their having to descend in darkness.

The location of Cima Vertana. Google Maps.

Avalanches are caused by the mechanical failure of snowpacks; essentially when the weight of the snow above a certain point exceeds the carrying capacity of the snow at that point to support its weight. This can happen for two reasons, because more snow falls upslope, causing the weight to rise, or because snow begins to melt downslope, causing the carrying capacity to fall. Avalanches may also be triggered by other events, such as Earthquakes or rockfalls. Contrary to what is often seen in films and on television, avalanches are not usually triggered by loud noises. Because snow forms layers, with each layer typically occurring due to a different snowfall, and having different physical properties, multiple avalanches can occur at the same spot, with the failure of a weaker layer losing to the loss of the snow above it, but other layers below left in place - to potentially fail later.

Diagrammatic representation of an avalanche, showing how layering of snow contributes to these events. Expedition Earth.

The cause of the 1 November 2025 Cima Vertana avalanche is unclear at this time, although there is known to have been recent snowfall on the mountain, and it has been speculated that some of this poorly consolidated snow could have been shifted by high winds, triggering the event.

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