A spate of fatal avalanches has struck the French Alps amid persistently unstable conditions following heavy snowfall. This has prompted renewed warnings from the authorities and stark reminders of the dangers of off-piste skiing during periods of high risk.

There are numerous concerns associated with extreme weather events, such as ice melt and snowfall deficits, in Alpine regions. First, these phenomena create hazardous avalanche conditions and pose safety risks to hikers, climbers, skiers, and residents in the area.

ROME, JAN 16 - A weekend of unstable weather, snow in the Western Alps, and scattered showers in the Northwest and South awaits Italy, according to Lorenzo Tedici, meteorologist and media manager for iLMeteo.

Snowfall in Japan varies widely by region, but one mountain road receives totals that shut it down for nearly half the year. Seasonal accumulation can sometimes reach about 65 feet, enough to bury infrastructure built specifically to handle extreme weather.

The Tateyama Snow Corridor is a famous Japanese tourist attraction that hosts tours from April to June, allowing visitors to marvel at 65-foot-high snowbanks.

Grenoble hosted the 1968 Winter Olympics, but its winters are shorter and milder nowadays, and with less consistent heavy snowfall. When the games return to the French Alps in 2030, Grenoble won’t be the focal point. “I grew up there, and I really see the difference of snow,” Cloetens said. “In 15 years, it has completely changed.”