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Archive Index - All Editions

Group triggered an avalanche, left without rendering aid

Skiers say an encounter in the Colorado backcountry grew ugly this past weekend when one party triggered an avalanche that swept the member of another group through a couloir at Quandary Peak. ā€œIā€™m wildly disappointed by the actions of people who claim to be locals and claim to be backcountry enthusiasts,ā€ skier Trevor Carlson said
More ... (Denver Post)

Computer simulations give avalanche forecasters insight

A researcher says new computer simulations could help predict avalanches and aid forecasters in keeping people safe in the backcountry. The simulated snow-cover models can accurately detect and track avalanche hazards, according to Simon Horton, a Simon Fraser University post-doctoral fellow and forecaster with Avalanche Canada. He was part of an international team of scientists from Canada, France and Switzerland that developed the models.

The researchers looked at 16 years of data on weather conditions, snow cover and avalanches from three sites: Whistler and Rogers Pass in B.C. and Weissfluhjoch at Davos, Switzerland. They used this data to run simulations that could determine avalanche risk and classify avalanche situations. The researchers say their simulated avalanches lined up well with the avalanches actually observed.
More ... (CBC via Yahoo Movies)

Teenager injured in roof avalanche expected to recover

A teenager who was injured in a roof avalanche while playing outside in Breckenridge last month is expected to recover, according to the Breckenridge Police Department. Chief Jim Baird called the hospital after the incident and was told that the teenager would recover, police administrative supervisor Colleen Goettelman said in an email Tuesday, April 23. The roof avalanche occurred on March 18. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported that the avalanche partially buried two teens, one of whom was seriously injured.
More ... (Summit Daily)

Ambulance with Pregnant Woman Stuck In Avalanche, Rescued

Srinagar: The 'Team Beacon' of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Tuesday rescued a pregnant woman who was stuck in the Pani Matha region in Zojila due to an avalanche. The ambulance carrying the woman got stuck in heavy snow following the avalanche, only to be rescued by the men of the BRO team. In the video posted by news agency ANI, the men at work could be seen pulling the ambulance with the help of a snow bulldozer while some of the men were pushing the ambulance to take it out of the heavy grip of the snow.
More ... (Times Now)