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2025 Archive Index - All Editions

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Juneau’s avalanche forecasters prepare for winter

Juneau’s avalanche forecasters are gearing up for winter. The state Department of Transportation and the local electric utility re-installed scientific instruments to help them predict avalanche risk at their largest research site in town.

Last month, avalanche forecaster Mike Janes rode the Goldbelt Tram, pulled on a harness and climbed a metal weather tower on the north-facing slope of Mount Roberts in the pouring rain. Janes works at Alaska Electric Light & Power. He sets up sensors that will help predict the threat of avalanches once Juneau’s famous rain turns to snow. This year, AEL&P, the Alaska Department of Transportation and other agencies will feed all of this data, and more, into a Swiss snowpack model.

Patrick Dryer is an avalanche and geohazard specialist at DOT. He said using the Swiss model could help Alaskans better predict how layers of snow are forming at high elevations. But Dryer said there’s a lot of variability between where they collect data and all of the places where avalanches can occur. Plus, snow dynamics change, so no prediction is perfect.
More ... (KTOO)

Prestige International Pictures talks sales for ‘Avalanche Express’

Sales, production and finance company Prestige International Pictures (PIP) founded by Carlos Rincon and Vital Pictures are at AFM introducing buyers to the survival thriller Avalanche Express. TheVital Pictures production is scheduled to shoot in the Alps in spring 2026. The story centres on a train conductor wrestling with a prior trauma who must lead an international group of passengers to safety after an avalanche buries their alpine commuter train under 20 metres of snow.

PIP president Rincon will be showing buyers artists’ impressions and animated storyboard sequences. “While the film will feature an epic inciting incident involving an avalanche collision and nerve-racking tension from the claustrophobia of being buried under snow, the premise of the film is universal about finding hope in despair,” Rincon said.
More ... (Screen Daily)

Türkiye launches first avalanche prevention project in Bitlis

Türkiye has launched its first avalanche prevention project in the eastern province of Bitlis, marking a major step forward in disaster preparedness and risk reduction. The initiative introduces an advanced monitoring system equipped with locally developed sensors and software to predict and prevent avalanches before they occur. The project, which began about a year and a half ago, became operational recently following the installation of movable devices and sensors on Mount Dideban — a region historically prone to avalanches. Implemented for the first time at this scale in Türkiye, the system aims to protect around 140 households in Bitlis’ İnönü neighborhood, where previous avalanches had caused significant concern among residents.

Twelve sensors placed on Mount Dideban continuously collect real-time data on snow depth, soil temperature, humidity and wind direction and speed. This information is transmitted to computers loaded with domestic software, allowing early detection of potential avalanche threats and enabling rapid preventive action. TÜBİTAK developed a domestic software program to analyze the data independently, without reliance on foreign systems, a move expected to boost both data security and response efficiency.

Originally designed as a stationary system, the project evolved into a mobile structure through continued technical improvements. A specially developed observation caravan was introduced — a self-sufficient unit powered by solar panels and equipped with accommodation, a kitchenette and modular sanitary facilities for four personnel. The mobility of this unit allows it to be deployed quickly to different disaster-prone areas across the country.
More ... (Hurriyet Daily News)

OnX Backcountry Updates ATES Coverage

ATES (short for the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale) is a tool developed by Parks Canada nearly two decades ago to precisely map avalanche paths and determine the exposure a backcountry traveler might have on any given point on the map. It’s an additional tool that backcountry travelers can use to make a plan for a backcountry ski adventure on top of reading avalanche forecasts and understanding the terrain, weather, and snow conditions they plan to enter.

onX Backcountry has announced a major update to their 3D-mapping mobile and web app that includes 18 new zones covered by high-resolution ATES mapping and the inclusion of clearly-marked Level 0 “safe zones” with no risk to avalanche exposure. With this new update, onX Backcountry triples its ATES coverage, mapping 23 million acres across ten US states including Washington, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, California, Oregon and more.
More ... (Powder Magazine)

The EAWS matrix, a tool to determine regional avalanche danger

Standards for regional avalanche forecasting were initially developed at national levels. The introduction of the five-level European Avalanche Danger Scale (EADS) in 1993, still in use today, marked a milestone in harmonizing the assessment and communication of avalanche danger. Since then, both forecasting concepts and terminology have evolved. In this study, we present the updated European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS) Matrix – a consensus-based decision-support tool developed to support consistent and transparent danger level assessments across Europe. The Matrix links three key factors – snowpack stability, its frequency, and avalanche size – to the five danger levels of the EADS. The updated Matrix reflects current best practices in regional avalanche forecasting in Europe and complements the Conceptual Model of Avalanche Hazard (CMAH), while avoiding ambiguous likelihood terminology. We argue that the Matrix, now adopted as an EAWS standard, provides a robust foundation for future revisions of the European Avalanche Danger Scale.
More ... (Copernicus)