Archived News - 2009
Archived Avalanche News Stories - 2009
December 30 , 2009 - Artillery man shells mountains for avalanche safety
Cochrane’s Shawn English had to work during the holidays. As a gunner for the Canadian Armed Forces, his duty was to protect the people driving through the Rogers Pass on the Trans-Canada Highway from the threat of avalanches. More ...
December 28 , 2009 - Skiers better prepared for avalanche risk
Avalanche experts say better gear and improved awareness have led to a drastic reduction in the number of people killed each year by avalanches. Switzerland’s Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) said statistics for the latest ten-year period show that around 40 per cent of people caught in avalanches die. At the end of the 1970s, the figure was around 60 per cent. More ...
November 21 , 2009 - Swiss acquit 2 accused in army climbing accident
A Swiss military court has acquitted two army guides accused of negligent homicide of a group of soldiers killed by an avalanche in 2007. The accident, in which six soldiers fell 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) to their deaths, was the Swiss military's worst in 15 years. Eight people, including the two guides, were rescued unharmed. More ...
November 14 , 2009 - Online Avalanche Institute to Offer Level 1 course this season
The Avalanche Center, www.avalanche-center.org, is proud to announce that our new Avalanche Institute will be open this season. Our cornerstone project is a complete Level 1 course with all non-field material presented online. Field days will be available from partners, with the first one scheduled for Oregon in December. (Courtesy of AlpenPro) More ...
August 8 , 2009 - Snow rescues easy fetch game for dogs (New Zealand)
A series of avalanches causing two deaths in the Southern Alps of New Zealand this winter have kept snow rescue dogs busy sniffing out trapped people. When a person becomes trapped by an avalanche, their best hope for survival - aside from a personal locator beacon - is a rescue dog, whose agility, speed and sense of smell can mean the difference between life and death. More ...
August 5 , 2009 -Man triggers, outruns avalanche (New Zealand)
New Zealand snowboarder Sam Deavoll caused, and then outran, an avalanche two weeks ago, and does not want to repeat the experience. He has since told friends to take more care when heading out to back-country snow. He has been telling all his mates he was an example of "what not to do". More ...
May 17 , 2009 - Swiss winter set new records with fewer deaths
It is official: The 2008/09 winter season was longer and snowier than average, according to Swiss researchers. In a wrap-up report detailing last winter's statistics, the Institute for Snow and Avalanche research in Davos said Switzerland's wet winter broke numerous records. More ...
May 17 , 2009 - 100-year avalanche damages Sun Road
A "once-in-a-century" avalanche last winter wiped out 550 feet of guard wall along the Going-to-the-Sun Road just west of the Continental Divide, Glacier National Park (US) officials said last week. The Little Granite Creek avalanche — a Class-5 avalanche, the most catastrophic listing — damaged the alpine Sun Road just above the Loop, then crossed the road again just below the Loop, and roared over the Packers Roost Road before it came to a halt 4,300 feet below. More ...
May 7 , 2009 - Scottish Climbers in Avalanche saved by propeller of crashed plane
Two climbers caught in an avalanche on a Wester Ross peak were saved when they hit the propeller of a Lancaster bomber which had crashed on the mountain 58 years ago. They were roped together climbing Beinn Eighe, Torridon, when the avalanche was triggered, sending both men hurtling down the mountain. One hit the plane’s propeller, stopping their fall. The Lancaster crashed into the mountain on March 13, 1951, during a reconnaissance flight, killing all eight crewmen on board. More ...
April 19 , 2009 - Is there a problem with the Avaluator?
As a season in which 25 people have died in Canadian avalanches nears its end, snow scientists are arguing about whether a new risk-assessment tool recommended by most Canadian avalanche experts is making backcountry users safer, or giving them a false sense of security. More ...
March 31, 2009 - Italy Passes Avalanche Law For Off-Piste Skiers
Italian authorities in the Piedmonte region have passed a law making it mandatory for off-piste skiers and snowboarders to carry avalanche safety gear. You now must be equipped with an avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe, if heading out of marked ski runs. The law also applies to ski mountaineering. More ...
March 16, 2009 - "A Wall of White" - review
In late March, 1982, a once-in-a-century snowstorm hit California's Alpine Meadows ski resort, dropping over four feet of snow in three days. The storm released a catastrophic slide that destroyed the base area, killing seven people and burying one alive for five days. The avalanche demolished buildings, crushed snowcats and buried cars under 20 feet of snow. "A Wall of White", by Jennifer Woodlief, tells the story. More ...
March 13, 2009 - IHK court orders compensation to avalanche victims
In occupied Kashmir, the High Court has directed the Indian army officials to pay compensation to the next kin of five porters killed in avalanche while carrying ration for the Army post on Line of Control in Uri. The Indian army had refused to pay compensation to them. More ...
March 9, 2009 - Experiment suggests avalanches’ size can be predicted
An experiment using steel beads has demonstrated that it is possible to know how big or small an avalanche can be. More ...
March 5, 2009 - Czech to pay for causing avalanche in Austria
A Czech skier is to be fined the equivalent of 280,000 crowns for having set into motion an avalanche in Austria, according to the daily Lidove noviny. More ...
March 3, 2009 - Should strategies for care of avalanche victims change?
In the European alpine countries, there has been no major change over time in mortality due to avalanches; however, there has been a noteworthy increase in mortality in Canada and the United States. It is widely assumed that asphyxia is the main cause of death for those caught in avalanches. Rescue strategies, safety devices and treatment recommendations have been largely focused on the prevention and treatment of asphyxia and hypothermia. However, if trauma is a more important risk factor in some mountain regions or for people involved in a particular outdoor activity, perhaps preventive measures and treatment recommendations should focus more on trauma. More ...
February 2, 2009 - Avalanche survivor strives to inspire
Imagine driving down the road when out of no where your car gets swept away by an avalanche. That’s what happened to Dave Boon, who shared his story and some of the lessons he learned from that day at the Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday .More ...
January 20, 2009 - Experts Use New Snow Lab To Predict Avalanches
Ed Adams, a civil engineering professor, used to study the nature of avalanches after setting them off with dynamite. Now, Adams has traded in his dynamite for a more sophisticated approach: using a $2 million lab. Based at Montana State University, the so-called Subzero Research Facility was funded by the NSF and the Murdock Charitable Trust. More ...
January 17, 2009 - RECCO Improves Receivers to Help Save Avalanche Victims
RECCO, a unique passive avalanche rescue system for ski and snowboard enthusiasts and rescue teams, has improved the portability of its detector system to allow for a faster response from rescuers. This season RECCO introduced to rescuers the R9 detector that for the first time tracks signals from both avalanche beacons worn by backcountry enthusiasts as well as popular RECCO reflectors. More ...
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