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2025 Archive Index - All Editions

Remembering B.C.'s deadliest avalanche, in March 1910

British Columbia’s deadliest avalanche killed 62 people near Revelstoke in early March 1910. Sixty-two people died when an avalanche slammed into a crew clearing snow from the CPR line near Revelstoke, burying the workers under metres of compacted snow, ice, timber and rock.

The CPR rail line through the Selkirk Mountains was the final and most unforgiving stretch of the trans-continental line to be built. Although the section was completed in late 1885, the company abandoned it until the following spring. Up to 12 metres of snow buried the line at Rogers Pass, and avalanches destroyed entire sections of newly laid track. When the snow melted, CPR built 31 costly snow sheds to protect the most vulnerable sections of line, allowing the company to run trains all the way through as of June 1886.
Source ... (Times Colonist)

Youth trapped in avalanche rescued alive in Kashmir

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan: A teenage traveller trapped under an avalanche in the Gurez area of Neelum Valley was rescued alive by local residents with the help of army personnel after an hour-long effort on Saturday, police said.

A passenger jeep travelling from Kel to Halmat got stuck in a snow-covered section of the road at Seri Mor around 4:25pm. As the passengers disembarked to push the vehicle free, an avalanche suddenly struck, sweeping it nearly 200 feet down to the right bank of the Neelum River. One of the passengers, 16-year-old Usman, was buried under the snow, while the other three — Amjad, 25, Younus, 30, and the driver, Farooq, 27 — were carried down with the glacier to the riverbank, sustaining minor injuries. However, after an hour of relentless efforts, locals and army personnel successfully pulled Usman out alive from beneath the snow.

The Public Works Department has been actively clearing snow from roads in the Gurez region. However, according to police, seven to eight inches of snow remained at the accident site, causing the vehicle to get stuck and triggering the incident.
Source ... (Dawn)

Climax avalanche removes section of Japanese ski resort

This ski-asia article includes an impressive photo of what looks like a glide avalanche within the ski area.

A large full-depth avalanche has taken out the top section of Niigata prefecture’s Iwappara ski resort, a popular resort in Yuzawa town that is frequented by visitors from Tokyo. Dramatic photos show a large crown and debris field on the resort’s “Giant” run, estimated to be close to 100 metres in width. The incident occurred just after 2:30pm on March 8, mere hours after the resort’s ski patrol had closed the slope after finding cracks during an inspection. Ski resort officials said that recent high temperatures in the area may have had an impact on the snowpack. According to reports by local media, no one was injured.
More ... (Ski Asia)