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NZ's first recorded avalanche fatality marked

Restoration of a burial site honouring four young men who perished on Mt Nobbler in 1891 has now been completed by the Kyeburn Diggings Cemetery Trust. The burial site is also significant as it marks New Zealand’s first recorded avalanche fatality. On July 30, 1891, James and Thomas Meikle left their home at Kyeburn Diggings to hunt rabbits in the Kakanui Ranges on Mr. W. J. McCready’s property. It was a beautiful morning when the 19-year-old and his 12-year-old brother set out with their hunting dogs.

At some point Thomas became too weak to travel, so James left him in the shelter of a rock with a blanket and some dogs and set off back over the mountain for help. On August 1, James led a search party up the mountain to rescue Thomas. While traversing a steep gully at the head of Shepherd’s Creek, the entire snow slope suddenly gave way. James, Robert Blanchard, and Alphonso Beer were carried 400 yards down the gully and over two waterfalls into the creek bed. It was an avalanche that none could survive.

A jury found that Thomas (12) had died from exposure, while James (19), Alphonso (28) and Robert (23) had perished from injuries sustained in the avalanche. All the bodies were interred in the same grave, overlooking the valley to Mt Nobbler on the Kakanui Range.
More ... (The Central App NZ)

First Reported Avalanche Incident in New Zealand

On July 5, a two-person avalanche involvement was reported in the Ohau backcountry in New Zealand. From the limited information available it seems to have occurred on a steep, wind affected aspect with ongoing wind loading. Out of the group of three, two people were buried but survived as the runout of the avalanche was into open terrain with no cliffs or rocks.

The avalanche was 20 centimeters deep (7.8 inches) and 10 meters wide (32 feet) on a 35° slope. It ran for about 40 meters (131 feet) down the backcountry slope. The local ski patrol at Ohau said the reactive windslab hazard had elevated throughout the day, and that human-triggered avalanches were common on adjacent slopes at Ridge Crest. The overall avalanche danger on the day was low.
More ... (Snowbrains)

Climber buried by avalanche 22 years ago found in Peru

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Police in Peru said Tuesday they have found the cold-preserved body of William Stampfl, an American mountaineer who was buried by an avalanche 22 years ago as he tried to climb 6,768-meter Mount Huascaran. Police said Stampfl’s body and clothing had been preserved by the ice and freezing temperatures. His drivers license was found; he was a resident of Chino in California’s San Bernardino County. Stampfl was with friends Matthew Richardson and Steve Erskine when they attempted the ascent in 2002. Erskine’s body was found shortly after the avalanche on Huascaran, but Richardson’s is still missing. Stampfl’s body was brought down the mountain over the weekend and put in a morgue in the city of Yungay.
More ... (PBS)

Army expedition recovers three soldiers buried in October 2023

NEW DELHI: In an extraordinary display of courage and camaraderie, the Indian Army has recovered the bodies of three soldiers after undertaking a gruelling expedition at more than 18,000 feet, reaffirming its commitment to leave no man behind, dead or alive Members of the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) undertook the heroic mission to retrieve the bodies of three Havildar instructors who were trapped and buried under the debris of a deadly avalanche while undertaking a mountaineering expedition in October 2023.

Brigadier SS Shekhawat, the Deputy Commandant of HAWS, led the search operation, emphasizing the mission's importance. He is no stranger to formidable challenges of mountaineering, having climbed Mount Everest thrice and been awarded the Kirti Chakra for one of the toughest operations conducted by the Indian Army. "We dug for nine days straight, 10-12 hours every day at 18,700 feet," he recounted. "Tons of snow and ice were removed." The gruelling effort tested the resilience of the entire team, both physically and mentally.
More ... (The New Indian Express)

Centuries of Avalanches Are Stored in Tree Rings

By analyzing the wood of hundreds of living pine trees near a ski resort in Bulgaria, a team of scientists found evidence of dozens of large avalanches that struck the area over two centuries. Understanding the frequency of potentially destructive avalanches can inform risk-management efforts and land-use planning, the researchers suggest. They published their results in the journal Dendrochronologia in June.
More ... (The New York Times - Science)