Ski patrol and rescue service Our heroes on the mountain

The rescue service ensures the safety of the slopes through controlled avalanche blasting. They employ various blasting methods to secure the areas around pistes and lift facilities.

Every evening, ski patrollers inspect the slopes on their assigned mountains. The snow groomer operators only commence their operations once the patrollers have cleared the slopes. The rescue service team evaluates the avalanche risk on a daily basis and authorises the opening of the slopes only when they are deemed safe and following the necessary blasting. The interactive piste map shows the current status of the pistes.

Our ski patrollers secure and mark over 253 kilometres of pistes. The edges of the pistes are marked out with orange posts, and important signs are installed. They also put up the current avalanche bulletin.

In the event of an accident in the ski areas, the mountain rescue service is the first to respond. Ski patrollers administer first aid, assess the situation and coordinate the next steps. They transport the injured person down to the valley on a rescue sledge and accompany them to the hospital. Our heroes save lives!

If an avalanche occurs in the mountains of Davos Klosters, the local mountain rescue service is immediately deployed for help. Together with trained avalanche dogs and equipped with avalanche transceivers and probes, they execute the rescue mission as quickly as possible. Every second counts, and every responder plays a critical role in the search!

There are three main types of stationary blasting systems:

• Gasex cannons, commonly used on difficult-to-access and dangerous slopes, employ an explosive gas-and-oxygen mixture to generate a pressure wave that initiates the avalanche.
• Over 13 detonator masts have been installed in the Davos Klosters ski area, allowing explosives to be detonated remotely at the touch of a button. Instead of being cast into the slope, the charges are suspended above the snow surface using a rope
• The Avalancheur is a permanently installed pneumatic launcher, consisting of a pressure chamber and a barrel extending four to six metres. Whenever necessary, an explosive projectile is fired at the target using pressurised gas. The “avalancheur” is fired before the blast and – due to the previously defined targets – charges can be detonated in any weather, even when visibility is limited.

For manual blasting, patrollers carry explosives in their backpacks and trigger avalanches by throwing charges into the snow. These detonate after 90 seconds, causing the snow to slide. The ski area remains closed until all pistes are deemed safe.

Even areas that are difficult to access can be efficiently secured using helicopter blasting. Our partner, Swiss Helicopter, supports us when needed to ensure a safe winter sports experience.