Search team find man who dug himself out of the snow, and confirm two men, aged 23 and 32, died near Lone Peak
Two skiers have been killed in an avalanche in the mountains of Utah that occurred after several days of spring snowstorms, authorities said.
The victims were two men aged 23 and 32, whose names have not been released.
Continue reading...Group of 17 were ski touring near resort of Sölden when 80-metre wide avalanche hit
An avalanche near the Austrian ski resort of Sölden has killed three skiers from the Netherlands. Another person was rescued and taken to hospital.
The victims were part of a 17-person ski touring group that was on an ascent with four Austrian guides. Ski touring involves using skis with special bindings and skins that make moving uphill possible.
Continue reading...Third person injured after small group were backcountry skiiing in Hokkaido on Mount Yotei when an avalanche struck on Monday
Two New Zealanders, including a 21-year-old ski guide, have been killed in avalanche while backcountry skiing in Japan.
New Zealand’s ministry of foreign affairs and trade confirmed to the Guardian two people had died in “a tragic accident” in Hokkaido. A third New Zealander was also injured.
Continue reading...Interstate closures, avalanche warnings and gale-force winds as storm pummels region with up to 10ft of snow
A powerful blizzard pummeling California brought double-digit feet of snow; 190mph wind gusts; closures of a main trucking artery, national parks and ski resorts; and even a tornado. And that was just day one.
Ski resorts in the Sierra foothills reported more than 2ft of snow accumulated in the 24 hours from Thursday evening to Friday evening. Snowfall at the Northstar ski resort in Truckee, California, was up to 44 inches (1 meter) since Thursday afternoon.
Continue reading...Four ski mountaineers from a nearby club killed and three injured while off piste with a guide
Four people have been killed in an avalanche in the mountainous Auvergne region of central France, local authorities said.
The avalanche took place on Sunday at an altitude of 1,600 metres (5,250 feet) above the village of Mont-Dore in an area known as the Val d’Enfer, the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department said in a statement.
Continue reading...Authorities say currently no reports of missing people as a major snow and wind storm moves into the California region
An avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, sweeping up four people and killing one, as a major storm with snow and gusty winds moved into the region, authorities said.
The avalanche prompted Palisades Tahoe to close 30 minutes after it opened, and search crews combed the area to see if anyone was injured or trapped.
Continue reading...Kate Vokes, 54, and Archie Vokes, 22, from Manchester, killed while skiing off-piste near Mont Blanc
The family of a mother and son who died in an avalanche in the French Alps have said they are “beyond heartbroken” by the tragedy.
Kate Vokes, 54, and Archie Vokes, 22, from Manchester were killed when the avalanche swept through an off-piste section of the resort of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, near Mont Blanc, on 28 December.
Continue reading...Two were part of group skiing off-piste with instructor when avalanche occurred
A British woman and her son are reported to have died in the French Alps after an avalanche in the Mont Blanc mountain range.
The two were part of a group reportedly skiing far outside the designated slopes with an instructor when the avalanche, measuring 400 metres wide, occurred at an altitude of 2,300 metres near the ski resort of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains in the Haute-Savoie on Wednesday.
Continue reading...Experts warn that global heating is exacerbating inherent dangers of high altitude mountaineering
Avalanches in the Himalayas are causing an increasing number of deaths and threatening the safety of climbers, research suggests.
While high-altitude mountaineering comes with an inherent avalanche risk, global heating is exacerbating the danger during the climbing season in the Himalayan mountain range, experts warn.
Continue reading...All ski tourers survived the slide near summit of the Alphubel with light to moderate injuries
Nine skiers survived a major avalanche high in the Swiss Alps on Saturday, emerging with only light to moderate injuries.
All nine were found by rescuers and airlifed to hospital, police said.
Continue reading...48-year-old man pronounced dead at scene and 40-year-old taken to hospital in Fort William
A man has died and another has been injured after an avalanche on the north face of Ben Nevis.
Police Scotland said they were made aware of the avalanche at about 3.35pm on Friday.
Continue reading...The two men were at the end of a three-day trip in The Remarkables above Queenstown when they triggered an avalanche
Two climbers who were buried by an avalanche and then caught in a blizzard atop one of New Zealand’s most famous mountain ranges survived their ordeal by digging themselves out of the snow, building a cave and living off muesli bars.
The two men in their 20s were on a three-day ice climbing adventure in The Remarkables – a 2,300-metre high range above Queenstown – when they triggered an avalanche and were carried about 20 metres downhill.
Continue reading...Authorities keen to avoid repeat of fatal glacier fall and avalanche but need to protect local tourism industry
The summer season was just getting into the swing in the mountain towns based around the Marmolada, the highest peak in the Italian Dolomites, when a huge mass of ice from a glacier on its north side snapped off last Sunday afternoon, causing a fatal avalanche.
Hotels, restaurants and mountain refuges were packed, and trails busy with hikers, climbers and cyclists, many flocking to the mountains in search of slightly fresher temperatures during Italy’s intense heatwave.
Continue reading...58-year-old local man dies as heavy snowfall followed by warm weather makes for dangerous conditions
One person was killed and four others injured in an avalanche in western Austria on Saturday, police said, a day after two other avalanches killed seven skiers as heavy snowfall followed by warmer weather made for unusually dangerous conditions.
Austrian broadcaster ORF said the person killed in Saturday’s avalanche in the municipality of Schmirn, in the state of Tirol, was a 58-year-old local man.
Continue reading...Rescue workers in Tyrol searching for survivor, as five others rescued after being buried at ski resort
An avalanche in Austria’s Tyrol province has killed five people on an unusually dangerous day in the Alps after heavy snowfall was followed by warmer weather.
“Unfortunately five people lost their lives,” a rescue official said on Friday.
Continue reading...Two decades ago Richard Stiles escaped an avalanche in New Zealand, but friend Steve Robinson wasn’t so lucky. Now the mountain has given up some of its secrets
When mountaineer Chris Hill found a backpack with an old camera in it on the Hooker Glacier – an 11km chunk of ice on New Zealand’s South Island – he was intrigued and decided to get the film inside developed.
Hooker is at the base of Aoraki (Mount Cook), in a national park of icy peaks where hundreds of climbers have died, dozens of them never to be found.
Continue reading...Two people caught in avalanche in Switzerland were rescued after their dogs barked for help
Two people caught in an avalanche in Switzerland were rescued after their dogs barked for help, attracting the attention of nearby snow-shoers who were able to dig them out, the air ambulance service Rega said on Sunday.
The avalanche swept the pair off a hiking trail in the Avers Valley of south-western Switzerland, near the Italian border and west of St Moritz, shortly after 3pm on Saturday, Rega said in a statement.
Continue reading...Five killed on Sunday morning in Dachstein range, sixth person killed in Carinthia region
Avalanches have killed six people in Austria in two separate incidents, police say.
At least five people were swept away on Sunday morning by a large avalanche on a mountain in upper Austria. The victims were part of a group walking in snow shoes on the Dachstein range.
Continue reading...Four South Koreans and three Nepalis are out of contact after an avalanche close to Annapurna base camp
An avalanche in Nepal’s Annapurna region has left at least seven people missing, including four South Koreans and three Nepalis, officials said Saturday.
The incident occurred at an altitude of around 3,230 metres close to the base camp for Annapurna, one of the highest peaks in the Himalayas, following heavy snowfall on Friday.
Continue reading...Police say two others injured in snowslip at No 5 Gully on UK’s highest mountain
Two climbers have been killed and two others injured after being caught in an avalanche on Ben Nevis.
The incident happened in an area of the UK’s highest mountain called No 5 Gully shortly before midday on Tuesday. Members of the Lochaber and Glencoe mountain rescue teams were at the scene.
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