Risk assessment and risk mapping In the Victorian alpine resorts

Following the Thredbo disaster of 1997, SMEC was engaged by the Victorian DNRE (now DSE) to conduct stability reviews of all their alpine resorts, with results to be incorporated into a series of risk maps for guidance in resort development, this work having taken place early in 1999. A classification system was developed from the methodology in AS 4360, and applied in a program of inspections on 642 sites across six alpine resorts. From these inspections, a relative frequency was assigned to each site, and then developed into an individual hazard rating for particular failure modes by incorporating an assessed background risk.

The paper includes a brief review of the Thredbo slide, and a review of some slide events in the alpine region for an indication of background risk, and to supplement limited evidence within the resorts.