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2025 Archive Index - All Editions

In This Edition:

Avalanche On Broad Peak Injures, Strands Climber

July 11: After weeks of drought, the first snowfall in the Karakoram has triggered an accident on Broad Peak. A slide hit Waldemar Kowalewski of Poland between Camps 2 and Camp 3, and he is waiting for rescue. Fellow Pole Lukasz Supergan broke the news this morning from Base Camp. Supergan returned from Camp 2 on Monday, with the mountain in extremely dry conditions. Since then, snow has fallen for two days and covered the upper half of Broad Peak. “We were sitting outside our tents at Base Camp when we spotted an avalanche descending [from] 6,600-6,800m, between Camp 2 and Camp 3. At first, we dismissed it as a curiosity until we saw the silhouette of a person in the avalanche,” Supergan reported.

Sherpas Set Off to Rescue Injured Kowalewski

July 12: Outfitter Lela Peak has hired three Nepalese Sherpas to rescue Waldemar Kowalewski. The Polish climber is still stranded in a tent at 6,500m on Broad Peak after breaking his leg in an avalanche. The Sherpas left at around 11 pm Pakistan time. Two climbers, identified only as Jarek and Hassan, helped him a little way down and pitched a tent for him at 6,500m. Jarek — apparently a Polish friend of Kowalewski’s — is looking after him. They have sleeping bags and fuel for cooking.

For many hours, his situation did not improve. Snow continued to fall today, making the area even more avalanche prone. Lukasz Supergan and other climbers in Base Camp saw several slides today. Helicopters are grounded due to the bad weather. Even if it improves, they have warned they will not fly any higher than 5,000m, roughly the altitude of Base Camp. Other Pakistani outfitters explained to ExplorersWeb that this is as high as their rescue helicopters typically go. Kowalewski’s outfitter, Lela Peak Expeditions, had a hard time finding a local team to go up on foot, but eventually hired the three Sherpas.
More ... (ExplorersWeb)
More ... (ExplorersWeb)
Update (ExplorersWeb)

IIT Kanpur to develop avalanche victim detection system

In a significant move to enhance soldier safety in high-altitude and avalanche-prone regions, the Indian Army’s Central Command has joined hands with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur to develop an Auto-Luminescent Avalanche Victim Detection System (AAVDS) — a breakthrough technology that could transform avalanche rescue operations. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Surya Command, headquartered in Lucknow. The project aims to harness IIT Kanpur’s technological expertise to create a system capable of swiftly locating soldiers buried under snow.
Source ... (Times of India)

Clarus Corp. Completes Sale of PIEPS

Clarus Corporation has completed the sale of snow safety gear company PIEPS and its JetForce avalanche pack intellectual property assets to a private investment firm for $9.1 million. The parent company of Black Diamond has restructured and worked to streamline its business over the past year in an effort to return to profitability. Black Diamond and its parent company warned investors in January that they face legal, reputational, and financial risks after receiving subpoenas last month as part of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. The investigation is related to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission’s (CPSC) conclusion that Clarus did not respond quickly enough to a problem with avalanche transmitters distributed by Black Diamond, according to documents filed by Clarus with the SEC on Friday. Clarus and Black Diamond dispute the findings and the company is cooperating with the investigation.
Source ... (Shop Eat Surf Outdoors)

Snowcat Driver Describes Avalanche Experience

Last week, a post on Reddit’s skiing subreddit went viral over a photo of an avalanche. A day later, the survivor of the avalanche (Reddit user ivanane44) gave the whole story. While driving through a valley, an avalanche rammed a snowcat and broke through the windows. Over the next minutes, the individual tried to move the snow away from his body and see if the two other people around him were ok. Luckily, the person was saved by guests who were in the back of the snowcat, which was less buried than the front. There were some injuries from the slide, but no fatalities. Here was the individual’s full perspective on the avalanche:
More ... (Unofficial Networks)