On February 1, 2021, at around 1:40 p.m., approximately 1,500 m³ of rock material broke loose in the area of the mountain Schoberstein at around 780 m above sea level.
The rock masses slid "like an avalanche" over several rock steps until a large part of this "debris avalanche" stopped in the creek and the forest stand. Numerous larger blocks crossed the footpath and were partially stopped by existing technical structures (steel snow bridges and rockfall protection nets) of the Torrent and Avalanche Control. Five individual blocks each measuring more than 2 to3 m³ broke through those barriers and were deposited on the road or partially rolled into the lake Attersee.
The existing protective forest which was in a good condition until the event was affected over a width of around 200 meters and had a strong dampening and buffering effect on the rockfall. Nevertheless the damage to the forest caused by this event was high leading to a reduced protective effect in the short and medium term.
The largest boulder hitting the road had a size of 4.5 m³. Boulders that were deposited in the lake may have been even larger.
The breakout point of the rockfall - the protective forest underneath provided a cushion for the falling rock masses. The largest rocks, however, even reached as far as the Attersee!
