Avalanche News - May 19, 2024
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CDOT Conducts Avalanche Helibombing on Independence Pass
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) conducted avalanche mitigation operations on Independence Pass on Tuesday, May 14. The mitigation efforts aim to make the pass safe enough for maintenance workers to clear. The mission involved using a helicopter to drop 56 bombs that weigh twenty to thirty pounds each. The bombs are strategically placed (by literally lifting them by a handle and tossing them out of the helicopter), especially along cornices, and then they detonate after about a two-and-a-half-minute timer. Independence Pass is a strong candidate for helibombing due to its remote location, lack of traffic demand, and general ability to take things more slowly. The idea is to only conduct this process one single time and get the road open for Memorial Day, although the possibility of another big snowstorm can always disrupt that timeline.
More ... (Ark Valley Voice)
Giro d'Italia: Iconic Stelvio climb removed over avalanche fears
Heavy snow and soaring temperatures have made the race's most famous mountain too dangerous to include, forcing RCS into a last-minute redesign. The Giro d’Italia will no longer tackle the fearsome Stelvio climb at this year’s edition due to a heightened risk of avalanches. Race organisers RCS have announced that stage 16, which was intended to feature the 19.6km climb in the first 60km of racing, has been re-drawn because of safety concerns. Heavy snowfall in recent weeks meant the Stelvio was unpassable, and after pictures emerged of huge cracks in the roads on the iconic mountain, its exclusion from the race was expected. “The recent snowfalls on the Stelvio Pass, followed by the rise of the temperatures, are increasing the risk of avalanches,” the organisers said.
More ... (Global Cycling Network)
Body of Canadian missing in avalanche found in Zermatt
The body of a Canadian man who had been missing since the deadly avalanche that hit the Riffelberg ski slope in Zermatt on April 1 has been found, Swiss police announced on Tuesday. His body was discovered by a member of the Valais police who was hiking in the Riffelberg ski area on May 10. A subsequent investigation revealed that it was the 30-year-old Canadian skier who had been reported missing shortly after the fatal avalanche.
More ... (SwissInfo.ch)
