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Avalanches in Juneau, major vessel losses at dock

(Clarification - While the headline implies that avalanches caused boat damage the article sound more like the heavy snowfall on the boats was the cause. It does report on two avalanches on both sides of the city.)

A storm has piled up feet of snow this past week in Juneau. Downtown experienced two back-to-back avalanches outside both sides of the city. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Juneau and Petersburg, describing the storm as a “long-duration snow event.”

Juneau city manager, Katie Koester, said that Thane Road was buried under one to two feet of snow over a mile of road. Though avalanches are common in the area, the city urged people to stay out of the area. The second avalanche was confirmed on Tuesday above Behrends Avenue. The second slide did not impact roadways or buildings, but public officials advised avoiding the slide’s path.

Multiple boats were sunk entirely under the weight of the snow. No pollution from the vessels has been detected so far. Harbormaster Matt Creswell said they "are expending resources that could be used right now to clear parking lots and docks. We’re expanding those resources for boats that could not have sunk if people would have shoveled them off in time.”
More ... (National Fisherman)

Palisades didn’t bomb before deadly avalanche.

Palisades Tahoe did not fire off explosives as part of its mitigation efforts in the hours before the Jan. 10 deadly avalanche and the resort acknowledged that there were actually two slides that morning on their slopes trapping skiers. In their most detailed comments yet, resort officials said Friday that they had set off charges on Jan. 7 and 9, but that they generally refrain from bombing when there is light snowfall.

Palisades spokesperson Patrick Lacey also said an investigation into the Jan. 11 in-bounds avalanche at Alpine Meadows, which trapped no one, had been completed. The 150-foot-wide and 8-foot-deep slide happened despite explosive charges set off in the Wolverine Bowl area, the site of the slide, and ski cutting assessments above the slope, Lacey said. The Jan. 10 investigation is still ongoing by the resort and Placer County Sheriff’s Office, but Lacey defended the decision not to set charges and said other safety work was done.
More ... (San Francisco Chronicle)

One lane closed on Berthoud Pass by another avalanche

The Colorado Department of Transportation closed the westbound lanes of U.S. 40 closed over Berthoud Pass at about 1:45 p.m. Saturday as rescue personnel searched an avalanche debris field for any victims. The Alpine Rescue Team (ART) confirmed the search for anyone caught in the avalanche in the Jones Pass backcountry area. There are no known victims at this point. A helicopter search was halted due to high wind. "We are sending in personnel via snowmobile to get on scene," state ART's Steve Wilson.

Six days earlier, several small slides rolled off the highway embankments and partially buried 10 vehicles. The road over Berthoud Pass was closed the next three days as crews repeatedly cleared the road of snow which kept sloughing off the hillside.
More ... (CBS News)

One dead in off-piste avalanche in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

One person died in an avalanche in the off-piste area in the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc area in the Tour sector, Saturday January 20, shortly before 2 p.m., announced the Haute-Savoie prefecture. There was also one minor injury and two people who escaped unhurt.

“A major search and rescue system was immediately deployed. There are five gendarmes from the PGHM of Chamonix, five first aid ski patrollers from the ski area, an emergency doctor from the SAMU 74, four dog teams, making a total of eleven people who were mobilized on the ground, supported by a helicopter from the air section gendarmerie and a helicopter from the company CMBH”

An investigation has been opened by the Bonneville public prosecutor’s office to determine the exact circumstances of this accident.
More ... (Actual News Magazine)