Item: CHARACTERISTICS AND TRENDS OF AVALANCHE FATALITIES IN JAPAN (1991-2020)
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Title: CHARACTERISTICS AND TRENDS OF AVALANCHE FATALITIES IN JAPAN (1991-2020)
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings 2023, Bend, Oregon
Authors:
- Azusa Degawa [ Japan Avalanche Network, Hakuba, Nagano, Japan ]
Date: 2023-10-08
Abstract: There have been 179 fatal avalanche accidents in Japan over the past 30 years (1991-2020), resulting in 274 fatalities. Of the fatal accidents, 85% occur in the mountains, 6% in ski resorts, 7% at work sites such as construction sites, 1% on the roads, and 1% in facilities such as buildings. In terms of the categories of activities of the persons who died in the "mountains", "recreational activities" such as backcountry skiing accounted for 81% of the fatalities, and "industry" which comprises of various tasks performed as part of one's job, accounted for 18%. "Mountaineers" accounted for 49% of the fatalities in the category of mountain recreation, a statistic which is unique to Japan. As well, fatal accidents that occurred during job duties also include a wide variety of work-related accidents such as management of power facilities in the mountains, forestry and hunting business, and mountain guiding. Dividing the 30-year period into three 10-year segments and looking at the trends in fatalities on the mountains, we see that the number of fatalities among mountaineers is decreasing and that among skiers is increasing. Additionally, avalanche fatalities of foreign tourists visiting Japan, which were not observed before, are also occurring and it is highly likely that the percentage of fatalities among skiers will increase in the future.
Object ID: ISSW2023_P2.15.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Azusa Degawa
Keywords: avalanche accident, avalanche accident statistics, mountain recreational activities
Page Number(s): 729 - 735
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