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En France, le risque d’avalanche reste associé à la haute montagne, mais semble oublié dans les espaces de moyenne montagne. À partir des exemples de l’archétype alpin et du massif vosgien, cet article discute les mécanismes sociohistoriques ayant abouti à cette situation. Le phénomène a été appréhendé par et pour la haute montagne, qui bénéficie de ce fait d’un système de prise en compte complet du risque. À l’inverse, la faible visibilité du phénomène en moyenne montagne conduit à une approche édulcorée. Dans un contexte d’absence de construction historique de la vulnérabilité dans le massif vosgien, l’occurrence d’accidents liés aux pratiques récréatives hivernales est toutefois l’occasion d’une (re)découverte de l’avalanche. Ainsi, l’article met clairement en évidence l’importance du prisme territorial dans la mécanique de construction du risque.

Risk construction and territory: in the shadow of the Alpine archetype, the forgotten avalanches of medium-high mountainsAll mountain ranges in France are subject to avalanche risks. Yet these remain associated with high mountains and are overlooked for lower mountain ranges. Based on the case of the alpine archetype and of the Vosges Mountains, this article discusses the social and historical mechanisms that generated this situation. Literature, as well as the process of scientific and institutional knowledge construction are responsible for the high mountain avalanche paradigm that still prevails today. Addressed for high mountains, the avalanche phenomenon is visible only in these areas. Tragic events and the emergence of tourism issues led to the development of a comprehensive risk management system, with risk being defined through its hazard components (extension, magnitude, etc.). In medium high mountains on the contrary the phenomenon was overlooked and consequently acquisition of specific knowledge was neglected. The framework developed for alpine areas could therefore not be transposed, which led to a softer, “low cost”, risk management system. In these areas suffering from a lack of vulnerability identification and construction, the emergence of winter recreational practices has fostered the need to (re)discover and take into account avalanche risks. All in all, this article clearly highlights the importance of the territorial prism in the process of risk construction.