Item: AVALANCHE RESCUE VR: IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING FOR COMPANION RESCUE
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Title: AVALANCHE RESCUE VR: IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING FOR COMPANION RESCUE
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Norbert Lanzanasto [ Avalanche Warning Service Tyrol, State of Tyrol, Innsbruck, Austria ]
- Christoph Sitar [ MEDIASQUAD, Innsbruck, Austria ]
- Anna-Lena Hetzenauer [ Department of Computer Science, University of Innsbruck, Austria ]
- Christopher Marquardt [ Avalanche Warning Service Tyrol, State of Tyrol, Innsbruck, Austria ]
- Paul Mair [ MC2ALPIN, Oberhofen, Austria ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Companion rescue remains the single most critical factor in surviving avalanche burials, where the first ten minutes offer a survival probability of approximately 90%. However, stress, panic, and lack of procedural practice often degrade real-world rescue performance. While physical field exercises are irreplaceable, they are logistically intensive, weather-dependent, and rarely repeated frequently enough by the general public. To bridge this training gap, the Avalanche Warning Service of the State of Tyrol, in cooperation with MEDIASQUAD and MC2ALPIN, developed 'Avalanche Rescue VR' (originally 'Notfall Lawine VR' in German), a free, highly immersive Virtual Reality application available in the Meta Store. This paper presents the pedagogical design, procedural workflow, and empirical findings from a database of 515 tracked sessions. The application guides users through a linear rescue sequence: from packing a virtual backpack at home, conducting a trailhead transceiver check, executing an emergency call, to performing signal, coarse, and fine search phases, culminating in probing and shoveling. Trainee performance was analyzed using three data streams: static session parameters, high-frequency spatial tracking, and event-based triggers. Results reveal common procedural omissions, such as 75% of trainees failing to check their mobile emergency app prior to departure, alongside highly successful procedural acquisitions, such as the systematic implementation of the 'airport approach' search technique (where transceiver height systematically reduces from 1.13 m to 0.80 m close to the victim). This study demonstrates that VR serves as a low-barrier, failure-tolerant complement to field exercises, reinforcing sequential memory, cognitive schemas, and stress-resilient action paths.
Object ID: ISSW2026_P1.4.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790098797
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Norbert Lanzanasto
Keywords: Avalanche rescue, Virtual Reality, companion rescue, procedural training, user analytics
Page Number(s): 79 - 85
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