Off-piste and backcountry skiers, snow-shoers, climbers, heli-skiers, hikers, ski patrollers and many more: The range of people who are involved in avalanche accidents is wide—and so are their avalanche knowledge, training and experience. Avalanche hazard information published in avalanche bulletins aim to reach all off-piste and backcountry enthusiasts as well as professionals. However, this can only be done effectively if the characteristics and needs of the target group are known (e.g., language, foreknowledge, the medium of information used and the main interest in the field of snow and avalanches). With that knowledge at hand, forecasters can design avalanche information products that are tailored and more effectively address the needs of the various user groups. In this paper, we investigate a 40-year dataset of the Swiss avalanche accident database and a recent online survey to provide detailed background information on who is involved in avalanche accidents in Switzerland. Our results confirm that most individuals involved in avalanches in Switzerland are men between 20 and 30 in non-guided groups of two to four people. Often groups have an informal leader even if they are not professionally organized. Our findings demonstrate that men show higher willingness to take a risk than women. Furthermore willingness to take a risk also increased with the self-declared level of experience. Travel motivation factors showed that off-piste skiers are more motivated by adrenalin rush than backcountry travelers who mainly enjoy being outdoors.