Latest topics for the forum "Avalanche Safety"

Avalanche caught on head cam - Click Here to Comment

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:43:51 GMT

A scary vid, try watching it without looking at the clock to experience the fear.

pinched from another site.

Lucky Tahoe skier escapes with his life - despite catalogue of errors... - Click Here to Comment

Tue, 1 Jan 2013 21:51:24 GMT

If you're still wondering why everyone off piste should carry the kit (and know how to use it), watch this video of someone nearly killed.

The comments posted are to-the-point.

Enough money for helmet cams but not for each skier to be carrying the appropriate search and rescue gear for backcountry travel? Shame on them.

guys dicked around over 150 seconds before the first shovel hit the snow. Try and hold your breath for three minutes most people would be dead.

http://unofficialnetworks.com/skier-buried-avalanche-tahoe-video-rescue-114323/

excellent avalanche article worth reading - Click Here to Comment

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:38:06 GMT

Goto http//www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/

Fixed the link - Adders

Val d'Isere Avalanche - 21st December 2012 - fatality reported - Click Here to Comment

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:19:25 GMT

Le Dauphin are reporting that a "holidaymaker" was caught in an avalanche in Val d'Isere earlier today; below the Pointe du Grand Vallon.

Although he was apparently located with his transceiver 15 minutes after being buried, he could not be resuscitated.

A brief report (in French) is here - Le Dauphin

If you're heading out this weekend, or are already in the mountains; please take care. The next few days will see un-settled and unusually warm weather push the avalanche risk way up.

Fatal Avalanche in St.Anton - 18th December 2012 - Click Here to Comment

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 09:32:21 GMT

A group of Russian skiers ventured into steep terrain.

Local police believe the group became disorientated in snow and wind, with very poor visibility. They got into a 45o steep, very narrow channel system and it appears that one member became separated from the group and triggered an avalanche in one of the chutes.

The alarm was raised at the bottom and the victim was eventually found 1.7m below the surface, in a gully. He had apparently deployed his airbag but to no avail.

A report (in German) is here - is here.

Avalanche death in Verbier, 19.12.2012 - Click Here to Comment

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 07:44:24 GMT

http://www.lenouvelliste.ch/fr/valais/sion/avalanche-au-col-de-la-mouche-chassoure-497-1090360

Avalanche Survival Times - Click Here to Comment

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:13:10 GMT

I was watching the programme that was on BBC last night "10 things you didn't know about avalanches". It was really interesting, however there was one thing that made me think:

"In the majority of cases, if you are not found within 15 minutes of being buried you are likely to die from asphyxiation (white death)"

If this is in fact true, are the RECCO type devices of any use? By the time that people have identified that you are missing and the search & rescue team have found you surely your 15 minutes will be up and they are likely to find a corpse?

I know the 15 minute rule may vary, but even if it is double - it is not a long time from when an avalanche happens to when you are found?

In the event that you are caught in one, what is the best thing to do to extend the golden 15 minutes?

Recco avalanche rescue reflector - Click Here to Comment

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 22:00:27 GMT

Hi,

We have just bought our youngest a new jacket which has come with Recco avalanche rescue reflector built in. We didn't know it came with it.

Has any one any info on this.

Regards

12th December 2012 Another Tignes Avalanche - Click Here to Comment

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:59:39 GMT

British and French Skiers on Vallon de la Sache with serious injuries. More details on Pistehors.

http://pistehors.com/news/forums/viewthread/1359/

Avalanche in Engelberg strikes 11 skiers - injures 2 - Click Here to Comment

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:07:38 GMT

Sketchy details emerged yesterday but it now appears that a large avalanche (on the Laub) caught and partially buried a group of 11 Swedish skiers.

More information on The Local.

Obwald cantonal police said the snow slide was reported to them shortly after 11am in the Laub area of the resort.

A 45-year-old Swedish citizen was flown in a helicopter by Rega emergency services to hospital for treatment of "moderate" injuries, police said.

Another Swede, 36, was treated for minor injuries while nine others were uninjured.

Ten of the eleven were able to dig themselves out of the snow unaided, while the other person needed help from fellow skiers, police said.

Seven of the skiers were part of a guided group.

The avalanche was described as being 300 metres wide and 800 metres long, occurring partway down the mountain on a slope identified as "off-piste" on the ski resort's map.

It occurred at a time when the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research had issued a warning for the region urging "caution and restraint."

Be careful out there folks. There's a huge amount of snow and more coming...

Brits have lucky escape in Verbier Avalanche - Click Here to Comment

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:01:42 GMT

Two, possibly three, skiers rescued from an avalanche in the Col des Mines, Verbier yesterday morning.

Report (French) from Rhone FM

"An Avalanche took two skiers on Sunday morning at 10am in the Col des Mines in Verbier. A slab measuring 200 meters by 600 meters long was triggered at an altitude of 2,600 meters by 3 skiers, two Britons aged 24 and 22 years, and a young woman skiing off piste. Located and removed by FXB House Rescue, the first skier of 24 years was transported by helicopter in a state of mild hypothermia to Sion hospital for a checkup. His companion (22-years) was unharmed. None of the three people was equipped with a transceiver according to the cantonal police."

W.r.t. the last sentence. FFS. With the amount of recent snow... Lucky (very) to be alive, so let's hope they learnt some lessons.

Valais Cantonal Police Make Public Appeal to Freeriders - Click Here to Comment

Fri, 7 Dec 2012 09:10:58 GMT

After around 2 metres of snow in 5 days, they would like everyone to be extra careful, take the necessary equipment, and a Guide and stay safe.

http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/romandie/story/Deux-metres-de-neige--Freeriders-attention--14116703

La saison de ski a debute et les conditions d'enneigement sont excellentes sur les domaines skiables securises. La pratique de la randonnee et du ski hors-piste sera tres exposee ce week-end en raison des dernieres chutes de neige. Un appel a la prudence est lance et les principes de securite sont rappeles, en collaboration avec nos partenaires.

"Danger marque"

En 5 jours, ce n'est pas moins de 135 a 180 cm de neige en moyenne qui s'est accumulee a une altitude de 2'500 m. 20 a 30 cm sont encore attendus. De forts vents ont constitue d'importantes plaques de neige pouvant se transformer en avalanches. Le danger est "marque" et pourrait augmenter. "Danger marque" signifie notamment qu'une avalanche peut se declencher spontanement ou a distance par le simple passage d'un skieur.

Tres bon week-end en prevision sur les pistes, dangers pour le hors-piste !

Les premiers jours apres d'importantes chutes de neige sont souvent exposes aux dangers d'avalanches. La pratique du hors-piste necessite une grande connaissance de la montagne et de l'analyse des risques d'avalanches. Un materiel adequat (detecteur de victimes d'avalanches - sonde - pelle) est egalement necessaire mais encore faut-il savoir l'utiliser ! Des cours sont dispenses par les specialistes.

2 snowboarders had to be rescued by Helicopter off piste at Les Diablerets yesterday, despite being warned of the dangers by a lift company employee.

Avalanche in Tignes 5th December 2012 - Click Here to Comment

Wed, 5 Dec 2012 15:17:42 GMT

Details in Le Dauphine in French:

http://www.ledauphine.com/savoie/2012/12/05/tignes-une-avalanche-emporte-trois-skieurs

2 skiers buried near the Aeroski, another skier not buried. Rescue search carried out by piste patrol and resort staff. No helicopter rescue because of bad weather. 1 skier was not breathing but was revived and has been taken to hospital in Grenoble.

(Edited to account for my lousy French comprehension)

FREE Avalanche Awareness Lectures in Chamonix this winter - Click Here to Comment

Mon, 3 Dec 2012 19:30:18 GMT

Just a quick message to let you know that following on from the success of last season's lectures there will again be a FREE Avalanche Awareness lecture in Chamonix every week this winter season.

The lectures are being held upstairs at La Terrasse bar in the centre of Chamonix. They will be at 18.15 every Monday from 10 Dec 2012 to 11 Mar 2013. NB: Christmas and New Year week the lectures will be on a Sunday night instead.

Lectures last around 45 minutes, and will be delivered by qualified Mountain Guides resident in Chamonix. The lectures cover a variety of topics, including avalanche avoidance, safe travel, and rescue techniques.

Lectures are provided courtesy of www.avalancheacademy.com.

Have a safe season.....

Snows are coming... time to pause, and read this... - Click Here to Comment

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 17:29:25 GMT

If you haven't thought much about avalanches lately, then now's a good time to start.

Here's a quite personal account of an avalanche on Outside Online; perfectly illustrating how good judgement can sometimes get crowded out... and the consequences.

What started as a glorious powder day ended in a desperate fight for survival after three skiers were buried by a killer avalanche in the backcountry of Stevens Pass, in Washington's Cascades. Megan Michelson lived to tell about it, but she can't shake off a haunting question: How did a group of expert skiers make such a deadly mistake?

It's well worth reading the full account :- Tunnel Vision

I think about Laurie bravely stepping into their RV to tell her daughters that their dad was gone, and Josie, looking up at her, saying, "Am I not going powder skiing with Dad?"

p.s. thanks to fatbob on snowheads for pointing that up.

airbag, ABS or Snowpulse? - Click Here to Comment

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:57:00 GMT

which one will be better, in terms of the amount of protection offered during an incident and general comfortness of the rucksack?

So Snowpulse's removable backpack units are compatible with Mammut, Scott, Ferrino's R.A.S inflation units?

Avalanche on Manaslu. Ski Mountaineering Expedition Swept Away - Click Here to Comment

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 17:23:29 GMT

Very bad news from the Himalayas:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19691512

http://ht.ly/dVgrG

14:21 UPDATE: Just got a call from Glen Plake who told me this: "I'm OK, a bit beat up; missing some teeth and a bruised eye but write in big capital letters, GLEN PLAKE IS ALIVE AND HE'S COMING HOME.

It was a major, major accident. There are up to 14 people missing. There were 25 tents at Camp 3 [6800m] and all of them were destroyed, 12 tents at Camp 2 [6300m] were banged up and moved around. Greg and I were in a tent together, Remy was in another. It was 4:45a and I was in my sleeping bag with my headlamp on reading my devotional when we heard a roar. Greg looked at me and said, "That was a big gust of wind," then a second later, "No, that was an avalanche." Then it hit us. I was swept 300 meters over a serac and down the mountain and came to a stop still in my sleeping bag, still inside the tent. We all went to sleep with avalanche transceivers on so I punched my way out of the tent and started searching. Searched for 10 minutes when I realized I was barefoot. Greg was using my down suit for a pillow and I found my suit, I found everything that was in my tent - camera, sleeping bag, ski boots, it was like someone had thrown my gear in the back of a pickup - but there was no sign of Greg. Remy and his tent are nowhere to be found.

The Dynafit crew were sleeping at a high Camp 2 and were immediately on site to rescue people. Sergio, Stephane, Doji our Sherpa - all strong alpinists - have all come up to search. We've done three searches and when the fog rolled in we had to call it off.

It was a massive serac fall, probably 600 to 700 meters across. It's a war zone up here."

23 September 2012, Manaslu Camp 3 (6800m) - The worst of phone calls came through a few minutes ago when Kimberly Plake called. "There's been a massive avalanche at Camp 3. Glen's OK but he told me, 'Remy and Greg are gone.'"

Glen told Kimberly that he thought there were around 16 climbers in Camp 3 (6800m) and that he was in his tent reading his Bible when a massive avalanche ripped through the camp. Glen was rescued from a crevasse by Canadian skier Greg Hill's team who were helping him down the mountain when he called.

Greg Hill reports on his Facebook page that his team are all OK.

Factual information is sketchy but police officials report that rescuers have recovered the bodies of a German guide and Nepalese guide and that seven other bodies have been spotted. Around 13 are believed to be missing. Other reports indicate that between five to eight injured climbers had been evacuated by helicopter to Katmandu before rescue efforts were called off due to bad weather.

Please keep Remy Lecluse and Greg Costa along with their friends and family in your thoughts and prayers. With hope, they might be some of the climbers that were flown to Katmandu.

I'll continue to update this post as news comes in.

Avalanche near Chamonix kills at least six - Click Here to Comment

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:08:32 GMT

Very grim news from Chamonix this morning. Six climbers are confirmed dead and seven more are missing. German, Swiss and Spanish nationals are among those known to have perished, with (five) British and (another two) Spanish missing.

Travelmole wrote:At least six people have been killed and eight injured in the French Alps by the most deadly avalanche in recent years.

Mountain police said two roped groups of 28 climbers had been hit by the avalanche, which happened in the Mont Blanc massif close to the popular resort of Chamonix.

They were believed to be from Britain, Germany, Spain and Switzerland but the nationalities of the dead and injured has not been confirmed.

There is more information in the report on TravelMole and here on the BBC.

Picture courtesy of the BBC

BBC wrote:The weather in the region has been warm and windy over the last few days, which could have led to an increased risk of avalanche at high altitudes, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Berne reports.

RIP.

Suspended jail for husband that killed wife in avalanche - Click Here to Comment

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 06:03:50 GMT

From the Austrian Independent Newspaper....

A husband has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after he set off an avalanche in which his wife subsequently died as they were on a ski tour in Obertauern, Austria in winter 2010.

The court in Linz, Austria, yesterday found the 65-year-old guilty of the charges after deciding he had set off the avalanche.

His wife, aged 58, had set off first down the slope and then he had followed down the steep off piste slope; but his movement triggered the avalanche which swept his wife to her death on the 2,228 metre high Sichelwand at the Obertauern ski resort.

The man had tried in vain to dig out his wife who was stuck under one metre of snow. When rescuers managed to free her she was already dead. She had massive head injuries and her mouth was full of snow.

In Autumn 2011 the husband was sentenced a three month suspended sentence for involuntary manslaughter. The court told him he should have realized the danger and should not have gone down the mountain, nor allowed his wife to do so.

The man appealed the sentence, and his legal team argued that his wife took the responsibility herself to go down the mountain and she would have been aware of the danger. The woman had her avalanche detector switched off in her rucksack. However the court has now rejected the appeal.

The decision proved very controversial amongst mountain rescue experts who claimed it linked being an alpinist to a criminal offence and took away the element of personal responsibility.

http://austrianindependent.com/news/General_News/2012-06-15/11467/Suspended_jail_for_husband_that_killed_wife_in_avalanche

Five Skiers Dead after Avalanche near Tromso, Norway - Click Here to Comment

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:01:40 GMT

Although details are presently a little unclear (with various sources reporting between 2 and 6 fatalities), this has clearly been a major tragedy.

From the BBC :-

Five people have died after being caught in a major avalanche in northern Norway, local police say.

The casualties are reported to be four Swiss and one French citizen. A sixth man was pulled out and taken to hospital with "moderate injuries".

They were part of a larger group of skiers which apparently split into two groups before the avalanche.

Around 30 rescue workers, assisted by dogs and helicopters, were dispatched in the search and rescue operation.

The avalanche happened on Mt Sorbmegaisa in the north of Troms district, about 65km (40 miles) east of Tromso, on Monday afternoon.

...

Police said rescuers had detected signals from the skiers' avalanche transceivers buried in the snow.

Other reports have given more detail :-
- the slide is reported to have been between 1 and 2km in length.
- the final victim was recovered at 7pm, from under 6metres (20 feet) of snow.
- the avalanche risk level at the time was 3 (Considerable).