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2026 Archive Index - All Editions

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Afghan Air Force rescues four people in avalanche

The Afghan Air Force has rescued four people trapped in a snow avalanche in Shiveh area of ​​Arghanjkhah district of Badakhshan province, the press office of the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Monday. The rescued people were taken to the capital of Badakhshan province by military helicopter and their health condition was reported to be satisfactory and reliable, the ministry said. The Ministry of National Defense also recalled that its forces had previously rescued a number of citizens who were trapped in snow avalanches on the Salang Highway in similar operations.
Source ... (Afghan Voice Agency - AVA)

Large Avalanche during Qualifier Competition

During a Freeride World Qualifier four-star event at Serre Chevalier, France, German snowboarder Leonardo Schweizer triggered a large avalanche mid-run. Schweizer did everything right when things went wrong. As the slope fractured and the slide accelerated, he stayed composed, deployed his avalanche airbag, and remained on the surface of the debris. He was carried by the avalanche but came out the other side uninjured—shaken, no doubt, but alive. Even with experienced guides, snow safety checks, and thoughtful planning, things can still go wrong during freeride competitions.
More ... (Snowbrains)

Skiers, one injured, caught in avalanche in Kosovo

Three skiers caused an avalanche on Brezovica by skiing outside the official and marked ski trails, the Brezovica Ski Center announced. As a result, one of them was injured. "Today, three irresponsible skiers started skiing outside the official and marked ski slopes, which caused an avalanche. Two skiers moved away from the scene, while one skier with an injured leg remained at the top of the unmarked slope," the Ski Center said. They added that with the quick and professional intervention of ski rescuers, the injured skier was safely transported to the ambulance.
Source ... (KosSev)

Avalanche Rescue pack caused skiers death in Japan

The family of the young woman who has died in an accident in Japan have released a statement, explaining her death was caused by the avalanche airbag backpack she was wearing. Sunshine Coast woman Brooke Day, 22, became caught when a buckle on the pack lodged in the lift carriage at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Nagano Prefecture west of Tokyo on Friday.

The resort’s operator Tsugaike Gondola Lift Co said Day, who had been working in Japan, was involved in the accident when “a buckle at the end of an unfastened waist belt attached to a backpack … became caught in the lift carriage.” Because her chest strap was fastened, “the backpack remained attached to the body,” the company said. “After disembarking the lift, the customer was dragged along with the backpack. “Subsequently, staff pressed the stop button to halt the lift. Prompt rescue efforts were carried out, and the customer was transported by ambulance.” Day was taken to hospital in cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead shortly after.
More ... (7news)

Avalanche hits Atal Tunnel north portal; NH-03 blocked

Lahaul Spiti [India], February 3 (ANI): An avalanche struck near the Snow Gallery at the North Portal of the Atal Tunnel in the Lahaul Sub-Division on Tuesday, leading to the blockage of National Highway-03 (NH-03). The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) stated that the avalanche occurred in the vicinity of the Atal Tunnel's North Portal, disrupting vehicular movement on the key highway that connects Lahaul-Spiti with other parts of Himachal Pradesh. Following the avalanche, NH-03 was blocked. The restoration and clearance operations were immediately initiated by road maintenance teams.
Source ... (ANI)

Keeping Canada’s most dangerous avalanche corridor safe

High above Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park, British Columbia, with winter storms building and tonnes of unstable snow clinging to steep alpine faces, Danyelle Magnan prepares to make decisions that could mean the difference between a clear highway and catastrophe. Her job is to keep the Trans-Canada Highway open – and people alive – by controlling avalanches before they come crashing down. She does it with calculation, experience and a tolerance for risk that few possess, making literal life-or-death decisions on a near-daily basis.

Many other mountain regions rely on helicopter-deployed avalanche control but in Glacier National Park about 95 per cent of the controlled avalanches are triggered using a C3 Howitzer – a military-grade cannon operated through a partnership with the Department of National Defence. The artillery has a lot of advantages over helicopters, which can only be used when conditions are right. “The beauty of the Howitzer is that it allows us to do avalanche control in any weather conditions, any visibility,” Ms. Magnan says. “We can go out in the middle of the night and do avalanche control. We can go out in howling storms where it’s snowing super heavily.”

The stretch of highway that Ms. Magnan oversees has the highest avalanche hazard index in Canada and the third highest in North America. In just 43 kilometres of highway, there are 135 avalanche paths. Her job is to ensure the crushing snow falls safely, keeping travellers and a major economic corridor, which includes a CPKC rail line, out of harm’s way.
More ... (Globe and Mail)