J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

Worth pointing up this news item, relating to the avalanche near Lech last week that left Prince Johan Friso in a coma.

Austrian authorities are to question his companion "concerning unintentional grievous bodily harm in particularly dangerous circumstances", according to a police spokesman.

There is more information in a report from the Austrian Independent here.

The Austrian man who was the sole companion of Dutch Prince Johan Friso when they were swept away by an avalanche is to be questioned by authorities and faces potential charges from Austrian authorities investigating the accident, it has been reported.

The Austrian public prosecutor has confirmed they are to question the local hotel owner Florian Moosbrugger who has been a friend to the 43-year-old prince since they were children. Up until now the 42-year-old hotel owner from Lech has been in a state of shock and unable to answer questions from the police.

The avalanche site, Photo By MIRO KUZMANOVIC/REUTERS


If you trigger an avalanche that injures or endangers others - and you survive - it's possible to face criminal charges in Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland and probably most other countries...

...please take care out there; avalanche risk remains considerable in many areas of The Alps.

bandit wrote:Reindeer cannot fly, as they have no wings....

Now you're just being silly. Everyone knows that reindeer fly on their magic hooves.

Er, what was the topic? :oops:

Your best chance of surviving an avalanche will always be to avoid being in one in the first place, but when the worst happens an airbag does appear to help...

This avalanche airbag footage was caught on January 25th, 2012 in the Snake River backcountry near Montezuma, Colo. It features pro snowboarder Meesh Hytner getting caught in an avalanche and staying on top after deploying her BCA Float 30 avalanche airbag.

Video courtesy of BCA

While airbags can be extremely effective in preventing avalanche burial, they are no substitute for education and good judgment.

As there has been some debate about the video, we also quote BCA co-owner Bruce Edgerly :-

We're sorry it appears we set this whole thing up and are exploiting it to the max. Our company is truly dedicated to saving lives, not just pumping products. We really had nothing to do with making this footage and we believe this event was irresponsible. We have always supported education as the #1 priority in the backcountry. An airbag cannot make up for poor judgment.

Your best defence against avalanches is education; the following links are great starting points :-

Avalanche Safety on Pistehors
BCA's avalanche education pages
European Avalanche Warning Services
Henry's Avalanche Talk

And more about pro snowboarder Meesh Hytner.

J2SkiNews wrote:But I'll take my apology back if you like?

No apology needed, so you needn't take back the apology you didn't not need to needn't give anyway...

Helmet-related news is fine.

J2SkiNews wrote:now I'm sounding like the Paul Whitehouse indecisive bloke in the bar in the Fast Show.

Are you sure? :lol:


Ally... your comments to that thread were very funny. But it went beyond something you'd want to be explaining to your 10-year-old daughter (as was very bluntly - though not unreasonably - communicated to me).

jastem wrote:I put the word ski in the heading

:thumbup:

Pancakes Matter!

Carry on. 8)

Dave Mac wrote:All snow related Adders

Ah, clearly the lesser-spotted snow porpoise there then...

Hope you're having a good time Mister Mac, but you're definitely on the wrong side of the world for the snow.

If you register at the easyjet site, I'm pretty sure they'll send you an email whenever the next batch of summer/winter flights are released.

shona61 wrote:We will be based in Les Carroz, which I was a bit worried about but reading your review has put my mind at ease.

Les Carroz's a great base to explore the Grand Massif from, and it's very easy to get into the other valleys from there. you'll love it. 8)