The Snow Avalanche Blog

Avalanche trapped bikers on Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier Park

An avalanche trapped bikers on Thursday, May 13. At about 6:30 pm Glacier National Park rangers responded to a report of three bikers who were trapped behind an avalanche near Triple Arches on Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Three bikers - a husband and wife along with a friend - traveling up the road encountered an avalanche across the road, turned around, and started back down. Soon after, they encountered a second avalanche in progress. The wife was ahead of her husband and friend and heard the avalanche. She warned her husband and friend to stop. The avalanche came down between them. So the avalanche trapped bikers - the woman’s husband and friend - on the uphill side.

Aleutian Avalanche blasts 3 climbers down Mt Neacola

April 30th, 2021 / Tags:alaska , aleutian , avalanche , climbing , neacola / Categories: Accidents, alaska, avalanche accidents, Avalanches, climbing, new hampshire / No Comments »

An Aleutian avalanche woke three climbers on Easter morning. They found they were tumbling down the Neacola Mountains in Southwest Alaska. Their tents were propelled down Mount Neacola in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve by an air blast from an avalanche above them.

The climbers received a grant from the American Alpine Club to fund the north face attempt. The three have more than a decade of experience. Two work as avalanche instructors. They work together as climbing guides in New Hampshire. The team had traveled to Alaska planning to spend about 3 1/2 weeks on the mountain. They returned home to New Hampshire on Thursday but are keeping an eye on Alaska weather in hopes that conditions in the Neacola Mountains will improve enough in the next few weeks that they can return.

Swiss Avalanche Deaths Up 50% Over the 20-year Average This Winter

April 12th, 2021 / Tags:avalanche accidents , avalanches , swiss avalanche deaths , switzerland / Categories: Accidents, alps, avalanche accidents, Avalanches, Switzerland / No Comments »

Swiss avalanche deaths are up this season. Significantly more people have been killed than the latest 20-year average. The majority of victims were off-piste skiers or snowboarders. The grim statistics come in a report by the Swiss Institute for Snow & Avalanche Research (SLF) and cover the period from 1st October 2020 to 30th March 2021.

Heli-ski avalanche near Matanuska Glacier witnessed by others in group

April 3rd, 2021 / Tags:alaska , avalanche fatality , heli ski , heli-skiing , matanuska glacier / Categories: Accidents, alaska, avalanche accidents, Avalanches, heli-skiing, skiing / No Comments »

A heli-ski avalanche near Matanuska Glacier killed a Fairbanks woman who was heli-skiing on Saturday. It was witnessed by four others in the group.

Erin Lee, 40, was rescued and taken to Mat-Su Regional Hospital and pronounced dead.Erin Lee, 40, was rescued and taken to Mat-Su Regional Hospital and pronounced dead.

She was part of a group heli-skiing about 7½ miles from the Glenn Highway east of the Matanuska Glacier, said Austin McDaniel, a spokesman for the Alaska state troopers. It wasn’t immediately clear which mountain the avalanche occurred on. Troopers have not visited the exact site. McDaniel also noted that another group was heli-skiing in the same area Saturday.

Hatcher Pass Avalanche – Road Reopened – Alaska DOT

March 28th, 2021 / Tags:alaska , avalanche , hatcher pass , road / Categories: alaska, Avalanches, Highways / No Comments »

A large, remotely triggered Hatcher Pass avalanche covered the road around 12 p.m. on Friday. Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center posted photos of the avalanche. They said that the road would likely be closed at the Gold Mint parking lot. The avalanche did not involve any people.

Mistrial in Colorado Avalanche Case against snowboarders

March 26th, 2021 / Tags:avalanche lawsuit , caic , colorado , colorado avalanche , lawsuits , legal / Categories: Avalanches, colorado, lawsuits, legal / No Comments »

A mistrial in the Colorado Avalanche case against two snowboarders has been declared.

The two snowboarders are facing charges in Summit County for an avalanche they triggered last spring. Evan Hannibal, 26, and Tyler DeWitt, 38, appeared in Summit County District Court Thursday for what was supposed to be day one of their trial, but only half of those summoned for jury duty appeared.

Now they will have to wait until June for their day in court. The judge had to declare mistrial in the colorado avalanche case.

Chitral Snow Avalanche Hits Washich Village

March 21st, 2021 / Tags:chitral , snow avalanche , village / Categories: Accidents, avalanche accidents, Avalanches, villages / No Comments »

A snow avalanche hit Washich village in Upper Chitral the other night. It crossed the Chitral River to Zang Lusht village on the other side.

Avalanche investigators must testify in Colorado criminal case

March 17th, 2021 / Tags:avalanche lawsuit , caic , colorado , colorado avalanche , legal / Categories: Accidents, avalanche accidents, Avalanches, colorado, lawsuits, legal, snowboarding / No Comments »

Avalanche investigators from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) must testify in the trial of Evan Hannibal and Tyler DeWitt according to Judge Casias. He dismissed a motion from the Attorney General’s Office to void subpoenas to keep them off the witness stand.

On March 25 DeWitt and Hannibal were snowboarding above the Loop Road at the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels. They triggered an avalanche. Nobody was injured but it covered more than 400 feet of the roadway up to 20 feet deep and damaged a remote avalanche-control installation.

The District Attorney charged both snowboarders with misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment.

Snow avalanche blocked road: Triloknath-Udaipur link road

March 6th, 2021 / Tags:avalanche , india , road , shakoli , Triloknath-Udaipur link / Categories: Avalanches, Highways / No Comments »

Snow avalanche blocked the road Triloknath-Udaipur link near Shakoli village in tribal Lahaul-Spiti district today. The snow avalanche was triggered during the day, which brought the traffic movement on this road to a complete halt.

Heaps of snow covered the vast stretch of the road though no loss of life and property was reported.

Deputy Commissioner Lahaul Spiti Pankaj Rai said workforce and machinery have been deployed in the area to restore this link road for movement of vehicles.

As weather is getting warmer in the region, the incidents of snow avalanches were occurring frequently in Lahaul-Spiti. A few days ago snow avalanches were triggered at Karpat and Lobar under Udaipur sub division in the district.

Avalanche testimony in criminal case could have “chilling effect”

March 5th, 2021 / Tags:avalanche lawsuit , avalanche testimony , caic , colorado , colorado avalanche , legal / Categories: Accidents, avalanche accidents, avalanche control, Avalanches, colorado, lawsuits, legal, snowboarding / No Comments »

Avalanche testimony by Colorado Avalanche Information Center boss Ethan Green in a criminal case could hinder the function of the agency, according to the state Attorney General.

Evan Hannibal provided his helmet video of the avalanche he triggered above Interstate 70 last March. The avalanche buried a service road and destroyed an avalanche mitigation installation protecting I-70. He thought the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) would use his submission to help educate others.

But Summit County prosecutors used the video for a criminal case. They seek restitution for the damaged avalanche mitigation device.

Now Attorney General Weiser has stepped in, asking Judge Casias to reject having state employees testify. He cites several reasons, such as their busy winter work schedules.

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