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2026 Archive Index - All Editions

In This Edition:

Avalanche Fatalities in Europe (Note)

There are a great many articles on a large number of fatalities in Europe. Especially Italy and France, but not only there. Sorting through these is beyond the scope of these news updates and also the resources we have. An article in the Irish Times on Feb 8 indicates 60 fatalities so far this winter, but it also states the average for Europe is 100. The total may well fall within one sigma of the average by the time the season is over, but they have all occured within a relatively short time period.

Avalanche winter 1951 - Part 3 (Mapping)

Impetus for hazard maps - After the avalanche winter of 1950/51, SLF researchers developed a system for mapping areas at risk from avalanches. The resulting colour scale for danger zones still forms the basis of the hazard maps produced today.

With around 1,500 buildings, railway lines and power lines destroyed, the winter of 1950/51 saw well over a thousand damaging avalanches in Switzerland alone. The avalanches mainly hit relatively new residential buildings, stables and commercial premises. "Many of the buildings destroyed were only 10 or 20 years old," says Stefan Margreth, head of the Avalanche Protection Measures research group at the SLF. Settlement areas had expanded rapidly in the decades prior to the winter of 1950/51, often without regard for avalanche danger. "Well into the 20th century, people relied on experience and knowledge passed down from generation to generation," explains Margreth. Newcomers, though, often ignored the warnings of locals and built in avalanche terrain.

In 1954, Switzerland's first avalanche hazard map was created for the municipality of Gadmen in the Bernese Oberland. In 1960, the SLF produced the first map featuring red and blue zones for the municipality of Wengen: no building at all is permitted in red zones, while in blue zones building is permitted subject to certain conditions. "Hazard maps are now available for virtually all settlements in Switzerland," says Margreth. However, getting to this point was a long journey that took several decades.

SLF researchers demonstrated how well the system works in their analysis following the avalanche winter of 2018, when the highest danger level – five, "very high" – was issued for the first time this century. Using satellite images, the researchers evaluated avalanche activity in around half of the Swiss Alps, with a resolution of 1.5 square metres. They found that 18,000 avalanches had occurred across an area of 12,000 square kilometres. Analyses showed that not a single avalanche had extended beyond the danger limits in settlement areas, says Margreth. "Most of the very large and extremely large avalanches ended in the red zones, or sometimes the blue zones."
More ... (SLF)

Two people escape in-bounds avy at Whistler

A pair of guests at Whistler Blackcomb (WB) were involved but ultimately uninjured in an in-bounds avalanche on Feb. 2. A WB spokesperson confirmed the incident in an email to Pique, saying the avalanche activity occurred "out of Saudan Couloir—an experts-only area on Blackcomb Mountain. "Blackcomb Ski Patrol received a call at approximately 12:11 p.m. and responded immediately. Two guests were involved and uninjured, with the area cleared at approximately 1:08 p.m.," the spokesperson said.

Though avalanche danger has receded in the region of late, with daily warning levels hovering around moderate or low, the latest incident at WB follows a report in mid January of two separate in-bounds avalanches on the same day (also in experts-only territory). Those incidents occurred Jan. 11 on Blackcomb—one on Bushrat, and another in Sapphire Bowl. Six guests were involved between the two avalanches, with one requiring rescue, but nobody was harmed.
Source ... (Pique)

Avalanche closes down chairlift at Alyeska

An avalanche impacted part of a lower-mountain chairlift Thursday at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, closing the lift to skiers and snowboarders, officials said. The slide reportedly impacted Chair 4, also known as Ted’s Express, which takes skiers and snowboarders from the base of the mountain near the Day Lodge to a point roughly halfway up the mountain. No details were provided on the size or severity of the avalanche, but officials with the Ski Patrol confirmed a snow slide had impacted the lift and necessitated a closure.

Alyeska Mountain Communications Manager Bayne Salmon said the slide was a natural avalanche that occurred early Thursday morning while the resort was closed. “Between 7.30 a.m. and 8 a.m. on February 5, 2026, a natural avalanche occurred on the upper mountain while the resort was closed,” Salmon said. “The slide was observed by our grooming team and immediately reported to snow safety.” Salmon said all established avalanche protocols were enacted and followed precisely, and that no one was involved in the slide. The resort’s snow safety team was actively conducting avalanche mitigation work throughout Thursday.
Source ... (Alaska New Source - KTUU)

Avalanche in Slovakia kills two Hungarian climbers

Feb 7 - Two Hungarian climbers were killed in an avalanche in Slovakia’s High Tatras mountains on Friday after being swept about 400 meters down a steep slope, the Slovak authorities have reported. The avalanche struck shortly after 11 a.m. in Zlomisková Valley, a popular but technical area under Mount Tupá that lies in the Tatra range, which runs along Slovakia’s border with Poland. Slovak Police stated on Friday: “An avalanche occurred in the Zlomisková Valley… killing two men, both Hungarian nationals aged 37 and 38.” The force said it was investigating the accident and could not provide further details.

The country’s Mountain Rescue Service (HZS) said a snow slab avalanche was triggered by climbers on the northwest face of Tupá. In a statement on its website, it said the slab carried the two climbers across rocky and snowy terrain and buried them completely. Other climbers already in the valley began rescue efforts and located both victims using probes before professional teams arrived. The 38‑year‑old man “suffered fatal injuries” HZS said. His 37‑year‑old partner showed no vital signs, and although rescuers performed CPR, guided by the country’s emergency telephone service, he could not be saved. Poor weather prevented a rescue helicopter from taking off, so ground teams from the High Tatras regional center reached the site by foot.
Source ... (TVP World)

Volunteers buried face-down to test avalanche backpack

The SBX backpack system from Safeback is designed to pull and deliver oxygen from snow if the wearer is buried by an avalanche, thus increasing their survival time. A group of intrepid volunteers has now proven how well the system works. When someone is buried beneath the snow from an avalanche, it's estimated that they have about 15 minutes to be rescued before their oxygen runs out and they asphyxiate. The SBX backpack extends that time to a theoretical 90 minutes by sucking oxygen out of the surrounding snow, which is porous, and delivering it through the straps of a backpack. The oxygen-delivery system also pushes carbon dioxide away from the breather's face, dealing with two problems at once.

To test the SBX system, a group of researchers buried 24 volunteers face-down under at least 50 cm (about 20 inches) of snow. Half of them were buried with an activated SBX system and half weren't. All participants wore devices to monitor their Spo2 levels, a measurement of the amount of oxygen-saturated hemoglobin in the blood. The reading is generally a mark of how well oxygen is traveling from the lungs into the bloodstream, and levels below 90% indicate hypoxia. Readings below 80% can rapidly cause people to become confused or even lead to organ damage if not corrected in a reasonable amount of time. For testing purposes, the team defined an adverse event as someone's Spo2 levels falling below 80%. The team found that those using the SBX backpack stayed buried for a median time of 35 minutes with no adverse events, while those without the backpacks stayed buried for a median time of 6.4 minutes and reported seven events.

[Note that this sounds like a reincarnation of the "Avalung", which was produced by Black Diamond based on an idea and research from an American doctor. It would be interesting to see the patent history on this.]
More ... (New Atlas)

Extreme avalanche warning for Northern French Alps

Météo-France has issued an Orange avalanche alert across much of the Northern Alps with Very High (5/5) danger in several massifs on the European avalanche scale for Thursday 12th February 2026. Parts of the Southern Alps are also under a High (4/5) forecasts. Authorities warn that road closures and disruptions to mountain infrastructure are possible, especially at higher elevations. The snow line will fluctuate from 1200 to 2100 meters around the region. Heavy rain will overload the snow-pack below these altitudes leading to purges.

The avalanche danger is rated 5/5 (Very High) in the Mont Blanc, Aravis and Chablais massifs. Generally High (4/5) elsewhere Forecasters describe a “generally remarkable” avalanche situation, potentially exceptional near Mont Blanc and in Haute-Tarentaise.

On Thursday, forecasters expect numerous large to very large natural avalanches at altitude as snowfall intensifies, with a possible peak early in the morning during the heaviest precipitation. These avalanches may reach roads and mountain infrastructure, generally above 1,800 m, and some mountain buildings, especially in Haute-Tarentaise Forecasters also warn that an exceptionally large avalanche could, in rare cases, run much lower into valleys, potentially down to 1,200–1,400 m.
More ... (PisteHors.com)