Three bodies were found by search and rescue teams after an arctic avalanche hit a ski resort in Siberia
The three victims are reportedly members of the same family. Their eldest son survived and was taken to hospital. Other buildings were struck, but the bad weather meant most were empty at the time.
The scene after and arctic avalanche near Norilsk
A total of three people died in an avalanche that struck the Otdelnaya Gora ski resort in northern Russia overnight, investigators said on Saturday.
Authorities were notified at 00:30 a.m. local time (1730 UTC, Friday) of the avalanche near Norilsk — the world’s northernmost city.
Rescuers recovered the bodies of a 45-year-old man, named as Vladimir Popov, his 38-year-old partner and their 18-month-old child.
The couple’s eldest son, a 14-year-old boy, was found alive and “taken to the hospital with serious injuries,” including frostbite.
What do we know so far?
Between four and six huts at Otdelnaya Gora were buried by the snow, according to Russian media reports.
A search and rescue operation involving more than 200 people and 29 vehicles was launched.
Search operation after an avalanche near Norilsk in northern Siberia
On Saturday morning the emergencies ministry branch in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region, which includes Norilsk, announced via Instagram that all of the missing people had been found.
It said it was calling off the search and rescue mission.
Two people made their own way to safety, according to Russian media reports.
A 14-year-old boy was taken to hospital with severe injuries
Most buildings unoccupied
All of the buildings were unoccupied at the time of the avalanche except for one, reported news agency AFP, citing volunteer rescuer Maxim Inikhov.
“We have a very strong blizzard so there were very few people vacationing today at the ski resort,” Inikhov told Rossiya-24 television.
Two people walked out of the avalanche alive, reported Russian media
Risk of more arctic avalanches
Siberian Norilsk often experiences huge snowstorms, including blizzards last month where wind speeds reached up to 27 meters per second.
The emergency services has warned that there is a threat of further avalanches.
The regional department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case into deaths by negligence as a result of safety violations.
Heavy snowfall crippled normal life in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district today. An Atal Tunnel avalanche occurred on the Manali-Leh highway but no loss of life or property damage was reported.
Due to heavy snowfall in the region yesterday, the threat of snow avalanche had been looming on the Manali-Leh highway. Between the Solang valley and Keylong in the Lahaul valley.
100-m stretch hit
BRO officials said snow avalanche covered a 100-m stretch of road near the South portal of the tunnel.
The snow avalanche was 265 cm high, which has blocked the highway completely even for emergency vehicles between Manali and Keylong.
The BRO has pressed its workforce and machinery into service
Site of the Atal Tunnel Avalanche, Jan 2021
According to sources in the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a snow avalanche has covered 100-metre stretch of the highway. It was near the South portal of the Atal tunnel on the Manali-Leh highway. (MSP-12). The snow avalanche was 265 cm high. It blocked the highway completely, even for emergency vehicles, between Manali and Keylong.
The BRO authorities have pressed into service its workforce and machinery to clear the highway for traffic movement.
According to the report of the District Disaster Management Authority, Lahaul and Spiti, 35.65 cm of fresh snowfall was reported at Sissu. At Jispa it was heavier at 38.01 cm. In Udaipur 10.16 cm of snow was reported during the day.
Due to the snowfall, traffic movement in Lahaul and Spiti came to a standstill. The residents of the Lahaul valley were cut off from the rest of the state after the road beyond the Solang valley towards Lahaul was blocked.
The Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), Manali, has issued an avalanche alert for the coming days. As a result, the deputy commissioners of Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti have issued an advisory for common public to avoid venturing into snowbound areas.
The movement of tourists has been restricted towards the Solang valley from Manali beyond Nehru Kund.
Peter Marshall died in an avalanche during an avalanche safety class near Red Mountain Pass in 2019. In an avalanche lawsuit his family names the school, the guide, and Backcountry Access.
The slide swept six skiers down a slope. All of them were part of a Level 2 American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) class. Which was offered by the Silverton Avalanche School.
Site of the 2019 avalanche which caught six participants in an AIARE Level 2 avalanche class taught by Silverton Avalanche School.
The family is suing the guide, school and local rescue group. And also the maker of an avalanche airbag and its private equity firm owner. This lawsuit marks the second recent legal action involving avalanches based on reports by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
Lawsuit defendants
The wrongful death lawsuit names Silverton Avalanche School, San Juan County Search and Rescue and guide Zachary Lovell. It alleges a litany of failures, fraud, misrepresentation, negligence and consumer protection law violations.
The lawsuit also charges Boulder-based Backcountry Access (BCA) with making a defective Float 32 avalanche airbag. It says the airbag did not inflate after Marshall “attempted to trigger” the balloon-like backpack. The lawsuit also names Kohlberg & Company, the private equity firm that acquired BCA and parent company K2 Sports.
“The defendants, each of them, acted willfully, wantonly, and recklessly, without regard for the consequences or the rights and safety of Peter Marshall or of others,” reads the lawsuit. It argues the school, guide and airbag maker “created substantial and unreasonable risks of serious injury and death to participants” in the avalanche class. “Defendants were grossly negligent and that gross negligence was a cause of the injuries, damages, and losses suffered by plaintiffs and the heirs of Peter Marshall.” The CAIC report noted several mistakes that led to the avalanche. The group was skiing together on a slope that was steep enough to avalanche. They misjudged the steepness, aspect and avalanche danger on the slope they skied. And they failed to recognize the potential for triggering avalanches on nearby slopes.
Allegations against the school and guide
The avalanche was triggered by the guide. It also caught Marshall and carried him to the bottom of the slope. A second avalanche on an adjacent slope buried Marshall in several feet of snow. Lovell and the students searched for Marshall. He was uncovered after 50 minutes.
The 2019 avalanche which caught six participants in an AIARE Level 2 avalanche class taught by Silverton Avalanche School. The original snow slide is off the edge on the right, the debris and star are where the second avalanche buried and killed a student.
In the 12 days before the slide, the avalanche center logged 72 avalanches in the North San Juans and noted “considerable” danger. The lawsuit says Silverton Avalanche School staff and instructors agreed not to travel in avalanche terrain that weekend with students.
During those discussions, school staff “expressed concern that defendant Lovell seemed inclined to travel in more complex and bigger terrain. Despite the fragile snowpack and concerning avalanche conditions,” reads the lawsuit.
The lawsuit cites several dozen failures by both the school and Lovell. Those include charges of negligence. Like failing to communicate the day’s avalanche forecast. And allowing instructors to lead students “into, through and below” avalanche terrain. The lawsuit also says the school and Lovell “falsely represented” training and qualifications. The lawsuit notes that BCA in October 2013 recalled some of Float airbags.
Second Lawsuit to rely on CAIC reports
The lawsuit marks a second recent case where a CAIC report supports legal action. In October Summit County prosecutor Bruce Brown levied a $168,000 fine against two snowboarders who triggered an avalanche above the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels in March. The slide buried a service road and destroyed remote avalanche mitigation devices. The two snowboarders gave video to CAIC avalanche investigators. They thought their interviews and perspective would help others avoid future avalanche accidents. A motion filed by the snowboarders’ attorney in November to suppress the video argued the criminal charges stemming from an avalanche could pose a slippery slope for backcountry skiers who traditionally have worked cooperatively with the avalanche center in detailing avalanche accidents.
“The backcountry community needs to know if CAIC is not an ally in their efforts to improve best avalanche practices, but (operates) merely as an extension of law enforcement,” the motion reads. “This is a posture that needs to be clarified for all parties, because if CAIC is seen as a revolving door to police and prosecutor there will be a chilling effect.”
January 7 marks one year since the tragic Silver Mountain avalanche in Idaho. Three skiers were killed and four others were buried in the snow of the avalanche and survived.
The avalanche was unintentionally triggered by skiers. It ran over 900 feet down the slope and fell about 450 vertical feet.
One of the four survivors said he is still feeling some of the emotions that he felt this time last year.
“Still really grateful, grateful to be here, grateful that there were people that saw me, grateful that so many people that day came out to risk their own lives to find me,” said Bill Fuzak, survivor of the Silver Mountain Avalanche.
But Fuzak was lucky. Three others died.
“I definitely look at the world a little different now,” said Fuzak.
Fuzak is an avid skier but said that day changed him.
“I don’t trust myself as much anymore, I’m constantly looking around and being a little more aware of what’s going on,” said Fuzak.
Through it all, Fuzak is still skiing.
He has 30 ski days in this season already, starting in October.
Fuzak said it was nerve racking getting back out for the first time. But he added that it takes time, and it’s getting better.
He said if he can offer any advice, the biggest thing to keep you safe on the mountain, is education.
“Knowledge is power, knowledge can help save you,” said Fuzak.
He said he is constantly checking avalanche reports and sending them to friends to help educate them.
He and his wife are even taking more refresher courses. They encourage everyone to get avalanche training.
And one more tip: “Don’t go alone, have someone there, because they won’t know where you are if something does happen,” said Fuzak.
An avalanche survivor is talking about being buried by snow to encourage others to be safe while in the mountains.
A year ago Ryan Mitchell had a life changing experience. He and some friends were snowboarding at Steamboat Resort when an avalanche was triggered above them.
Area was closed, but access not blocked
Mitchell was one of eight people who were in a closed area. Although the area was closed they did not duck any ropes to access it. They traversed in above Big Meadow, which was open, and below the chutes. It is believed they triggered the avalanche from below. Several people were caught in the slide but only Mitchel was completely buried. Another person was buried up to their waist.
“Just a normal day”
“It was just a normal day. We were actually planning to go out and build a jump out in Steamboat,” said Mitchell. “I was out in front and my buddy Dane cut across, and all of a sudden there was a loud boom.”
They tried to outrun the slide but he and a friend were buried. “It hit me in the back of my board and I just went in.”
His friend extricated himself and was able to tell the other friend where Mitchell was last seen. Having some avalanche training, they started digging. A skier who witnessed the whole thing went to get ski patrol. Ryan was buried for 8 minutes. He had to come to terms with what could have been the end of his life.
“I was like, ‘Man, this is it.’ Everything went through my brain. The last conversations I had with everybody that I feel like I ever had a conversation with.”
Recovered before ski patrol arrived
Miraculously, he says his friends found him just as ski patrol was arriving. “I guess my buddies were saying they took my arm out and it just flopped and I was just blue.”
Mitchell was taken to a hospital and was not injured. When he was released he went for chicken wings to celebrate. He is telling his story now as an avalanche survivor because he has seen stories about avalanches trapping and killing people.
Keep enjoying the mountains, safely
He wants people to know that enjoying the mountains is still a good thing. Just make sure you go with people who have avalanche training.
“Keep doing what you love to do and just keep pushing man. I’m thankful that I had good people around me. Good friends that knew what they were doing and when times got tough, they didn’t panic.”
“I’m taking some time off to let the snowpack settle out,” said Whistler skier Mike Douglas. “It’s gotten really really dangerous.”
When Douglas was touring with some friends in “safe manageable terrain” they released a slab.
This is a good week to stay out of the Whistler area backcountry. We discovered some very easily triggered soft slab sitting on a layer of surface hoar today. 50cm crown on 30 degree N slope at 1500m. Likely to get worse. Be careful. pic.twitter.com/it0I2OblZO
— Mike Douglas (@MikeDski) December 31, 2020
“We kicked off a small slab avalanche with about a 50 cm crown,” he said, “it kind of spooked us a little bit, like wow it’s actually even more touchy out here than we thought.”
Twitter, MikeDski
Avalanche Canada is warning this is not the time to be in the backcountry. They are reminding those who want to venture out, to check forecasts before going. There is a severe avalanche risk right now.
“We’re on the storm track right now,” said Ilya Storm. “Right now, in some ways, the decision making is easiest.”
Meaning just don’t go! Because the high avalanche risk rating means it’s natural avalanches are likely and human triggered are very likely.
“It is snowing heavily, the wind is blowing, you can see it, you can see the snow accumulate and there are obvious clues out there,” he said. “Snow hates rapid change. The rapid change is a person. A person on a snowmobile, a person on skis, that can be enough to tip the balance.”
Douglas said this is the time to ski in bounds.
“Your life is not worth that day of powder skiing,” he said.
The body of a second snowplow driver has been found after an avalanche in Asturias (Spain) on New Year’s Day.
A search was launched after two snowplow operators were buried in snow. It occurred close to the port of San Isidro in Aller at around 3.30pm.
The body of one of the men was found at around 11.30pm on January 1. The recovery followed several hours of rescue operations involving the Guardia Civil and firefighters with canine units.
And this morning (Saturday, January 2), members of the Military Emergency Unit found the lifeless body of his colleague.
A 46-year-old man was also injured in the avalanche in Asturias. He broke a leg and several ribs. It’s believed he may have been trying to help the two victims.
La Braña hotel manager assists
The 46-year-old man was rescued by the manager of the nearby La Braña hotel. He said he received a call from some males who were 50 meters ahead of the avalanche, “safe and secure” but trapped.
They said they had seen a specialized vehicle in front of them, at a small distance, but that “a very big dust cloud” arrived and they lost sight of it.
Cordero feared the worst so he and his brother got in their SUVs. After four kilometers on a road covered by “five feet of snow”, they found the white mass and a van on its side.
Below was the wounded 46-year-old man, “on the verge of fainting from the cold”.
He told them the two men had got out of the snowplow because the chimney that expels snow had got stuck minutes before the avalanche buried them in snow.
“Worthless” avalanche defenses
The hotel manager said residents have been fighting for 20 years for improvements on the road to tackle the “terrible conditions” in the winter, arguing the avalanche barriers in the area are “worthless”.
During the past week backcountry skiers have triggered more than 10 avalanches in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Although nobody was seriously injured there have been some dangerous close calls.
There were six reports of skier-triggered San Juan avalanches in the Wolf Creek Pass area. And another five in the western San Juan Mountains. That’s just from reports people submitted to the CAIC.
On Monday a party of skiers near Wolf Creek Pass was caught in a relatively small avalanche that went up to the skiers’ knees. No one was injured.
On Tuesday near Wolf Creek Pass a skier was “knocked over and partially buried, head and one arm and ski out.” Another skier had to help the person extricate.
“No injuries or broken gear, so we were thankful for the somewhat gentle reminder that accidents can happen anywhere and it’s good to have partners that can rescue you in case of one,” the person who wrote the report said.
Skier caught in two avalanches
The skier was caught and carried about 100 to 130 feet and deployed an airbag. They were “pushed and knocked around but able to stay upright.”
The skier then came to a stop and got the airbag operational again. Attempting to ski down, the skier was caught in a second avalanche. They were carried another 100 to 130 feet and deployed the airbag again.
“Similar to (the first) slide … skier was caught, carried and knocked around but able to ski to right of deposition path just before being carried into trees,” according to the report.
Avalanche danger remains a concern across the state
A San Juan avalanche
People triggered at least 12 avalanches just on Thursday.
“Our current weak and dangerous snowpack persists,” the CAIC wrote. “There is potential for avalanches to be exceptionally fatal this winter in Colorado.”
The snowpack has not been this unstable and weak since 2012, Ethan Greene, CAIC executive director, said in a previous interview.
The unstable snowpack is a result of early season snow in October and dry weather for weeks in November, causing the snowpack to become weak. Then, additional snow on top of that weak layer causes avalanches.
“How weak the snowpack gets depends on how the fall unfolds,” Greene said previously. “This particular year, the underlying snowpack is really weak.”
So far this winter season, four people have died in avalanches.
According to the CAIC, avalanche danger on Friday in the southern San Juan Mountains is listed as “considerable.”
“Avalanche conditions are slowly easing, but many slopes remain dangerous,” the report said. “Without a new load, you may not see natural avalanche activity, but many slopes are very weak and just waiting for a trigger.”
Skiers activities that often lead them to backcountry locations with limited services. Monday morning (12/28) Forest Service avalanche experts warned of possible avalanche activity when visiting these areas. They recommend doing some avalanche testing before using steep slopes.
“We have a block of harder snow over a section of weak sugary facets of the ground, so we have something over nothing,” said Dave Zinn, avalanche expert. “This is the recipe for an avalanche, all you need now is a steep slope and a trigger.”
Triggers can be caused either by nature — rain, snow, sun, wind — or by human activity.
“The danger is moderate, but it’s sort of that scary moderate because human triggered avalanches remain possible,” said Zinn. “If we trigger them, they could be large — and definitely big enough to injure, bury or kill an individual.”
“Really watch out for those signs of instability — like shooting cracks. Do some avalanche testing – dig stability tests, do an extended column test, see if you get stable results,” said Zinn. “And if you don’t see (stable results), find a different slope.”
Previous reports from 2017 to 2019 showed six-of-ten accidents occurred in January and February. Five of which, resulted in a death. It is not listed what caused these avalanches were deaths occurred but leads experts to continue to urge people to test they go.
Two people were caught in Tahoe avalanches in the backcountry over the weekend, on Saturday December 26. One was a skier and the other a snowmobiler. Both escaped serious injuries.
Carson Pass – Skier
Two skiers on Saturday afternoon were ascending Nipple Peak near Carson Pass when one accidentally triggered a slide.
The skiers were ascending opposite sides of a bowl above treeline when a slab gave way and caught the skier. The skier deployed his airbag and his head was just underneath the surface when the slide ended at the bottom in the trees.
The other skier was out of the path and avoided the slide.
Carson Pass avalanche, skier locations marked in red and blue
Little Truckee Summit – Snowmobiler
The other avalanche was in the Tahoe National Forest in the Little Truckee Summit region.
A snowmobiler was cognizant of the avalanche forecast as his group worked its way into the Webber Lake area. But they were rerouted due to “wind-scoured ridges and exposed rock.”
“We were side-hilling and in a momentary lapse of judgment, or the fact that we were just moving along too fast, I popped out of the trees onto an exposed face. I immediately recognized the hazard, but immediately saw the snow fracture above me and propagate across the ridge.”
The snowmobiler had little choice and attempted to outrun the slide. But he was caught while dropping into the treeline.
The rider was thrown from the sled and buried up to the helmet against a tree. The avalanche was about 280 feet in length.
The group witnessed the event and was there about a minute later to provide assistance. The rider was uninjured and recovered the machine that was buried in about 6 feet of snow.
Little Truckee Summit avalanche which caught a snowmobiler
Conditions
The Tahoe avalanches took place on steep slopes of 40 degrees or more. Officials are advising users to choose slopes that are 30 degrees or less.
“Whumpfing, shooting cracks, recent avalanches, and unstable snow pit test results are all indications of unstable snow in the area,” said a statement. “Do not underestimate potential avalanche size, potential run out distance, or the hazard from connected terrain above or to the side. Think bigger avalanche than expected.”
