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2025 Archive Index - All Editions

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BRASS Expands Global Avalanche Safety Mission

Ten years ago, a U.S. Ski Team training camp in Sölden, Austria, turned tragic. Rising stars Bryce Astle and Ronnie Berlack were caught and killed in an avalanche just meters off a groomed trail. Their families turned grief into purpose, founding BRASS Avalanche—Bryce and Ronnie Athlete Snow Safety—to educate, advocate, and save lives. This weekend, as the World Cup once again opened its season in Sölden, BRASS marked the tenth anniversary by urging the global ski community to stay informed and think safety first.

BRASS reminds athletes, coaches, and families that Europe’s avalanche-mitigation system operates very differently from North America’s—and that difference can be deadly. Understanding those distinctions can mean the difference between a dream trip and disaster. For example, in the U.S. and Canada, ski areas work to control avalanches within resort boundaries. In Europe, however, avalanche control is limited to marked and groomed pistes (trails). Step even one meter off a groomed trail, and you may be in uncontrolled, high-risk terrain.
More ... (Ski Racing)

2nd body of 3 found 8 months after avalanche in Alaska

The body of a skier who went missing in an Alaskan avalanche eight months ago has been found, authorities said Tuesday. David Linder, 39, Charles Eppard, 39, and Jeremy Leif, 38, were heliskiing together in Girdwood, Alaska on March 4 when they were swept away and buried under between 40 and 100 feet of snow at the base of a steep slope. In early October, the remains of one of the skiers were recovered from a log jam in the river that flowed underneath the avalanche site. The State Medical Examiner's Office identified the remains as those of Linder, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. On Tuesday, a helicopter crew and recovery team from Alaska's Mountain Rescue Group recovered a second set of remains from the avalanche area. The medical examiner is working to confirm the identity of the new set of remains. Efforts to locate the third set of remains are ongoing, the Department of Public Safety said.

The man whose body was recovered earlier this week was identified as 39-year-old Charles Eppard, Alaska State Troopers said Friday.

The archived file for this incident on Avalanche-Center.org has been updated with this development. Previous news and details can be found there.
More ... (CBS News)

CDOT tests new avalanche control explosive

Over the summer, CDOT installed three 30-foot towers on Mt. Bethel, made by the Swiss company Wyssen. At the top of each tower is a large box that holds 12 charges a piece. When snow builds up on Bethel's avalanche chute, CDOT teams log into the system which lowers a single charge on a line, and with a push of a button, they remotely detonated the charge. The downward force of the blast along with the percussion of the sound triggers a controlled avalanche. CDOT's goal is to bring down the snow before it can slide naturally, catching motorists off guard.

The box that holds the charges gets installed on the top of the tower by helicopter. That's why the warm and sunny day in early November was chosen for the preparation and demonstration. Pilots hover over the target in the gusty and shifty winds while a crew member guides the box dangling at the end of a long rope into place. CDOT loaded all three towers on Wednesday. "Twelve charges is enough to last the whole winter," said Brian Gorsage, CDOT avalanche program manager. "Even in an active winter we might only need half of that."

The article has a video and photos.
More ... (9News)