Browsing entries tagged with Avalanche

26 Jan 2022

Verbier working to reduce avalanche fatalities

Verbier working to reduce avalanche fatalities

The Swiss ski resort of Verbier, known for its challenging off-piste, is taking part in a pilot scheme that is hoped will strengthen avalanche prevention. The scheme, for which Verbier is acting as a test…

15 Oct 2021

Brush up on your avalanche skills this autumn

Brush up on your avalanche skills this autumn

If you think your off-piste skills are a little rusty after a winter without skiing, or you fancy going ski touring for the first time this season, Henry’s Avalanche Talk (HAT) is returning to the UK…

27 Feb 2019

Go behind the scenes with ski patrollers

Go behind the scenes with ski patrollers

A short film has been launched offering a unique behind-the-scenes view of ski patrollers in La Clusaz, France. The 12-minute film, called Beyond the Pistes, has been made by leading adventure photography…

26 Feb 2019

Lift boss warns climate change to bring avalanches

Lift boss warns climate change to bring avalanches

As the sunny weather continues, the president of the Valais Ski Lift Assocation in Switzerland has warned that climate change will increase the risk of avalanche in the future and force ski resorts to…

8 Feb 2019

Where in the world is the deepest snow?

Where in the world is the deepest snow?

Where is the snow lying deepest so far this winter? Snow-Forecast.com has compiled a handy list to tell us skiers and snowboarders where the biggest falls have been — but remember that deep snow doesn’t…

9 Jan 2019

Snowfalls continue in Austrian resorts

Snowfalls continue in Austrian resorts

Another cold front has hit Austria — with even more due at the weekend, resulting in villages and ski resorts over the Austrian and Bavarian Alps being cut off amid near historic levels of snow. Avalanche…

24 Sep 2018

HAT avalanche training tour announced

HAT avalanche training tour announced

Henry’s Avalanche Talk has released the dates for this winter’s ORTOVOX Off-Piste Awareness Tour offering talks in cities across the UK as well as outdoor avalanche transceiver training — with tickets starting…

13 Feb 2018

Verbier offers bargain ski mountaineering camps

Verbier offers bargain ski mountaineering camps

Verbier is running two excellent-value mountaineering ski camps in the run up to the Patrouilles des Glacier (PdG) race. The camps being run by Téléverbier and Les Guides de Verbier, with the first this…

22 Jan 2018

Another storm batters the Alps

Another storm batters the Alps

The Alps are in the grip of another storm this morning, with avalanche warnings at their highest and many resorts again on lock down. With huge falls of fresh snow since Saturday night, strong winds and…

10 Jan 2018

Mountains reopen after snowfall

Mountains reopen after snowfall

Authorities across Europe are working hard to restore power and access to ski resorts following record amounts of snowfall. This image this morning from Duclos Alain Duclos at data-avalanche.org shows…

14 Dec 2017

Avalanche awareness days launched for teenagers

Avalanche awareness days launched for teenagers

Grimentz-Zinal Backcountry Adventures (GZBA) will be running a several avalanche awareness days for teenagers during the Christmas holidays. The off-piste days on 28 December and 2 January, and revolve…

20 Jun 2017

No avalanche fatality for Utah season

No avalanche fatality for Utah season

Improved avalanche information and awareness are being credited for Utah’s first avalanche fatality-free season in 26 years. For the first time since 1991, the US state has recorded its first ski season…

6 Mar 2017

Snowy March ahead in the Alps

Snowy March ahead in the Alps

It’s currently snowing in the Alps, and if weather forecasts can be relied upon, this month is going to be a goodie for snowfall which bodes well for Easter and late-season skiing. Fraser Wilkin of Weather…

14 Feb 2017

Tignes in mourning after avalanche

Tignes in mourning after avalanche

The ski resort of Tignes is in mourning today after four skiers died yesterday in a massive avalanche. At 10:30am yesterday morning, a 400m wide avalanche was triggered on the Lavachet wall in the Toviere…

11 Jan 2017

Free powder day pancakes in Aspen

Free powder day pancakes in Aspen

While a row is breaking out over whether skiing has or hasn’t been good in the Alps in recent weeks over the pond, a storm of historical proportions has been pounding ski resorts across North America.…

1 Jan 2017

Ski Club buys Mountain Tracks

Ski Club buys Mountain Tracks

The Ski Club of Great Britain has bought Mountain Tracks, a respected mountain adventure company that offers off-piste skiing holidays, hut-to-hut ski tours and mountain and avalanche awareness training…

8 Nov 2016

Verbier offers free snow safety courses

Verbier offers free snow safety courses

The Swiss ski resort of Verbier is offering free mountain safety courses this winter in a bid to ensure skiers venturing off-piste know more about what they’re doing. Verbier is known for its incredible…

2 Jun 2016

Avalanches “inherent danger of skiing”

Avalanches “inherent danger of skiing”

Ski resorts in Colorado will from this week not be held liable for skiers killed by avalanches while within a resort’s boundary. On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that avalanches are among…

19 Apr 2016

FWT champion dies in avalanche

FWT champion dies in avalanche

The freeride community is in mourning following the news that Freeride World Tour champion snowboarder Estelle Balet has been killed in an avalanche. The 22-year-old two-time women’s champion was making…

31 Mar 2016

Website to match skiers and guides

Website to match skiers and guides

A new website has launched matching skiers of a similar ability to share the cost of a local instructor or mountain guide. The idea was spawned by powder junkie friends Archie Hardyment and Will Tyzack.…

15 Mar 2016

Skier dies from collision in Flaine

Skier dies from collision in Flaine

Police in France have opened an investigation following the death of a man in the ski resort of Flaine. The 43-year-old skier was on the Serpentine piste, a blue run, at 4pm on Sunday afternoon when the…

14 Mar 2016

Avalanche app launches in France

Avalanche app launches in France

A new, free ski app will give skiers and snowboarders information on avalanche risks, weather and snow quality across the French Alps and the Pyrenees in both France and Andorra. The app, called “Ski…

13 Jan 2016

Schoolchildren hit by avalanche

Schoolchildren hit by avalanche

An investigation is underway tonight following an avalanche in Les Deux-Alpes that has killed a Ukrainian skier and two schoolchildren. We understand that the schoolchildren had been skiing in a closed…

6 Jan 2016

Heavy snow brings avalanche fatalities

Heavy snow brings avalanche fatalities

The snow has continued to fall this week, with many resorts already claiming a metre of the white stuff, with much more to come. The heaviest falls have been mainly in the northern French, and northern…

4 Jan 2016

Second snow storm hits the Alps

Second snow storm hits the Alps

Last night, a second wave of snow hit the Alps, with some resorts receiving up to half a metre of snow overnight. “It’s good to have the snow back!” said Avoriaz tourist office on its facebook page.…

1 Jan 2016

Colorado launches ski Safety Month

Colorado launches ski Safety Month

Ski resorts across Colorado are to host a month-long series of programmes and activities to encourage skiers and snowboarders to keep safe on the slopes. National Safety Month takes place throughout January…

10 Jun 2015

Hare gallantly outruns an avalanche

Hare gallantly outruns an avalanche

After all the shocking avalanche news from last winter, one heart-warming video of an avalanche has been circulating on social media in the past 24 hours. The video shows a hare dashing across a slide…

24 Apr 2015

US resorts to tighten liability waivers

US resorts to tighten liability waivers

Ski resorts in Oregan, USA are considering asking skiers and snowboarders to sign tight liability waivers to protect themselves against lawsuits over injuries and deaths on the slopes. There are 10 ski…

3 Apr 2015

‘No snow’ insurance claims soar

‘No snow’ insurance claims soar

A massive number of “no snow” claims have been made by skiers so far this season, following a winter of very average snow conditions. Almost half (44%) of winter sports claims have been made for no…

30 Mar 2015

Fresh warnings as Brit killed in the Alps

Fresh warnings as Brit killed in the Alps

There are fresh warnings for skiers and snowboarders to take care in the mountains, following the death of a British snowboarder in an avalanche this weekend. Heavy snow is forecast this week with a number…

10 Mar 2015

More ski brands include RECCO

More ski brands include RECCO

Nine new ski and snowboard equipment brands are to include RECCO reflectors in their products next year — joining the list of 200 already using the technology. RECCO refloctors are permanently attached…

23 Feb 2015

Snowfalls bring more instability in the Alps

Snowfalls bring more instability in the Alps

Heavy snowfalls over the weekend across the Alps have brought yet more treacherous conditions, with two more fatal avalanches in France and Switzerland as more than half a metre of snow fell in some places.…

9 Feb 2015

Excellent skiing ahead for half term

Excellent skiing ahead for half term

Snow is still falling today in the north-eastern Alps, but elsewhere the sun is shining after a week of massive snowfalls. Andermatt and Engelberg in Switzerland each report upper depths of 380cm this…

3 Feb 2015

Skiing memorabilia up for auction

Skiing memorabilia up for auction

Some unique, limited edition skiing prints and memorabilia from top skiers around the world will be auctioned over the next few weeks, to benefit the family of JP Auclair, who died in an avalanche last…

30 Jan 2015

Snow causes fatalities and closures

Snow causes fatalities and closures

Resorts in the Alps are closed today due to colossal amounts of snow falling — and there is more to come. Many that are open have raised the avalanche danger level from three to four (high). In the past…

28 Jan 2015

Avalanche risk grows as snow storm arrives

Avalanche risk grows as snow storm arrives

Skiers and snowboarders in the Alps are being warned to take even more care over the next days as the forecast snow starts to fall. The anticipated “big storm” in the next few days comes on the back…

6 Jan 2015

Avalanche situation in Tirol “treacherous”

Avalanche situation in Tirol “treacherous”

Authorities in Austria are “urgently advising” skiers that the avalanche situation in Tirol remains treacherous, following the death of two US Olympic hopefuls in Sölden yesterday. Ronnie Berlack,…

4 Jan 2015

Avalanche warnings high in wet snow

Avalanche warnings high in wet snow

As wet snow falls in many Alpine areas, the Swiss Avalanche Institute has issued a warning of considerable danger of dry and wet avalanches over a wide area. “As a result of mild temperatures together…

30 Dec 2014

Grab a brilliant January ski deal

Grab a brilliant January ski deal

Well, it snowed! After a nail-biting run-up to Christmas, an epic storm last weekend, 15,000 people getting stranded in the French Alps and being forced to sleep in emergency accommodation, things have…

25 Nov 2014

Get a #skimakeover with Crystal

Get a #skimakeover with Crystal

Fancy a new outfit this season? One that no one else has? Crystal Ski holidays has teamed up with Avalanche to give three lucky skiers and snowboarders the chance to win a bespoke jacket for themselves…

26 Sep 2014

Win a pair of ski show tickets with WTSS

Win a pair of ski show tickets with WTSS

The ski shows in London and Manchester are only one month away — and we have four pairs of tickets to each event worth £24 and £20 respectively to give away. The shows kick of 24 October in Manchester,…

9 Jan 2014

Cattle help Lech get ski-ready

Cattle help Lech get ski-ready

The managing director of Lech Ski Lifts has devised a unique way of preparing the slopes for skiing. This autumn, Michael Manhart put 23 Highland cattle out to graze on the slopes of the fashionable Austrian…

18 Dec 2013

Avalanche warnings as Brit teenager dies

Avalanche warnings as Brit teenager dies

A teenager has been killed in an avalanche in the ski resort of Lech, amid warnings from experts that the Alps are about to experience the most unstable snowpack in nearly 20 years. The unnamed 16-year-old…

18 Nov 2013

Off-piste ski guide to Scotland published

Off-piste ski guide to Scotland published

The first guide to off-piste skiing in Scotland has been published by local ski guide Kenny Biggin. “Scottish Offpiste Skiing and Snowboarding: Nevis Range and Ben Nevis” was launched on Friday, 15…

15 Nov 2013

More ski resorts open lifts early

More ski resorts open lifts early

This week’s snow report reveals a promising start to the season and there is more snow forecast this weekend — great news for those of us itching to get on the slopes. Whether you are in Europe or…

11 Nov 2013

Avalanche transceiver app warning

Avalanche transceiver app warning

The Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) in Revelstoke, British Columbia has warned skiers and boarders against relying on apps that turn smartphones into avalanche transceivers. The CAC said it has found “a…

31 Oct 2013

Tickets left for Avalanche Tour

Tickets left for Avalanche Tour

Ski show season is upon us, with Manchester last weekend and London opening yesterday. You’ve got your kit sorted, how about some pre-season avalanche awareness training? Henry’s Avalanche Talk UK…

20 Oct 2013

Ski racer injured in Tignes lift accident

Ski racer injured in Tignes lift accident

French downhill skier Brice Roger was among six people injured when a ski lift derailed in Tignes yesterday. State investigators were assessing the scene of the accident this morning, Sunday 20 October,…

14 Oct 2013

Skiers queue for first lift at A-Basin

Skiers queue for first lift at A-Basin

Arapahoe Basin has again been the first ski resort to open in Colorado. A-Basin opened one the Black Mountain Express lift at 08:30 yesterday morning, opening up one intermediate run — the High Noon…

14 Aug 2013

Climbers face fine for Austrian heli-lift

Climbers face fine for Austrian heli-lift

Two climbers in Austria are facing prosecution for pretending they were exhausted in order to get helicoptered off the mountain. The Dutch men, aged 27 and 30, could be fined €2,300 (£2,003) and face…

26 Jun 2013

Mt Hutt reopens after 20-year storm

Mt Hutt reopens after 20-year storm

Mount Hutt in New Zealand opened again yesterday after a record-breaking storm dumped three metres of snow on the ski area late last week and over the weekend. Conditions were “as good as it gets”…

18 Apr 2013

Avalanche blocks road from Val d’Isère

Avalanche blocks road from Val d’Isère

Rising temperatures and sunshine on top of high levels of snow have led to high number of avalanches in the Alps this week. At 7:45pm on Tuesday evening, a snow slide blocked the road out of Tignes and…

2 Apr 2013

Skier dies in Scottish avalanche

Skier dies in Scottish avalanche

An “extremely experienced” skier has died in Scotland after being caught in an avalanche while skiing off-piste behind Glencoe Ski Centre at the weekend. A rescue party involving 50 people and an RAF…

7 Mar 2013

Two skiers killed in Tignes avalanche

Two skiers killed in Tignes avalanche

Two skiers have been killed in an avalanche near Tignes in the French Alps. The pair, a guide and his client, were skiing off-piste in the wooded area of Bois de la Laye when the avalanche was set off…

5 Mar 2013

Heavy snow causes chaos in Colorado

Heavy snow causes chaos in Colorado

Heavy snow storms in Colorado have caused travel chaos and left the state on “considerable” avalanche alert. In the past 24 hours, Breckenridge reported 9in (23cm) of new snow, Steamboat 13.5in (34cm)…

15 Feb 2013

Three skiers die in three avalanches

Three skiers die in three avalanches

Today the Alps are sunny with warmer weather that’s likely to continue over the weekend, but after a fortnight of heavy snow, three avalanches have claimed the lives of three skiers in Valais, Switzerland…

2 Feb 2013

Skiers warned of high avalanche risk

Skiers warned of high avalanche risk

Avalanche warnings are high across the Alps this morning following heavy snowfalls – with more expected in the next few days. Miserable, warm and rainy conditions gave way to heavy snow overnight, which…

1 Feb 2013

Ortovox recalls faulty transceivers

Ortovox recalls faulty transceivers

Ortovox is recalling a batch of avalanche transceivers that have been found to be faulty. The batch of Ortovox 3+ — which retail for £259.99 in shops such as Ellis Brigham and online at Amazon — switch…

16 Jan 2013

Pyrenees on highest avalanche alert

Pyrenees on highest avalanche alert

Parts of the French Pyrénées are on red alert following heavy snowfalls of more than 50cm in 24 hours. The “alert rouge” – the highest avalanche warning - has been issued by Meteo France for the…

8 Jan 2013

Two skiers die in Italian avalanche

Two skiers die in Italian avalanche

Two men died in an avalanche while skiing in the Fiemme valley (Val di Fiemme) in the South Tyrol area in Italy on Saturday. The skiers, both locals, were wearing avalanche transceivers and were expert…

20 Dec 2012

Police urge caution after avalanche

Police urge caution after avalanche

Skiers and snowboarders in are being warned to take extra care after a 23-year-old Swedish woman died yesterday in an avalanche in Nendaz, Switzerland. The woman, who has not yet been named, was skiing…

18 Dec 2012

Avalanche dogs train in Les Deux Alps

Avalanche dogs train in Les Deux Alps

Avalanche dogs and their trainers are this week finishing three weeks of annual training in the French ski resort of Les Deux Alpes. This is the seventh year that training has been held by the National…

21 Nov 2012

Ski instructor dies in Lake Tahoe

Ski instructor dies in Lake Tahoe

A 24-year-old children’s ski instructor from Alpine Meadows in the Lake Tahoe area has died from head injuries after hitting a rock. Annalise Kjolhede was backcountry skiing with members of the Alpine…

26 Oct 2012

Canadian man dies in early avalanche

Canadian man dies in early avalanche

Canadian authorities are reminding all off-piste skiers to brush up on their avalanche skills this season, following the death of a mountain worker in British Columbia. Pat Lawrence Desmarais, a 50-year-old…

26 Sep 2012

Chamonix reeling after Nepal avalanche

Chamonix reeling after Nepal avalanche

Two Chamonix mountain guides caught in the avalanche in Nepal at the weekend are still missing. Rémy Lécluse (pictured) and Greg Costa, who were in their tents on Mount Manaslu with world-famous extreme…

23 Sep 2012

Pioneering freeskier Glen Plake alive after Himalayas avalanche

Pioneering freeskier Glen Plake alive after Himalayas avalanche

Legendary freeskier Glen Plake has been confirmed alive after being caught in an avalanche in the Himalayas this morning (Sunday). Glen, 48, was among the climbers, mountaineers and freeskiers caught in…

4 Mar 2012

Avalanche takes out French chairlift

Avalanche takes out French chairlift

Over 70 skiers and boarders were rescued from a chairlift in a French resort on Friday, when a huge avalanche broke off on a closed black run and took out one of the nearby lift towers. The event was captured…

10 Jan 2012

Free Austrian avalanche courses

Free Austrian avalanche courses

With record-breaking snowfalls in Austria’s Tirol region lately, and heavy snowfall now crossing the east of the country, visitors are being encouraged to sign up to a free avalanche course. This…

5 Jan 2012

Avalanche cuts off Zermatt

Avalanche cuts off Zermatt

An avalanche has blocked the railway into and out of Zermatt in Switzerland, cutting off the resort overnight. Heavy snowfall throughout the day on top of already deeply laden slopes is the most likely…

15 Nov 2011

Utah avalanche kills pro skier

Utah avalanche kills pro skier

The first avalanche-related death of the US winter season has claimed the life of Pro skier/snowboarder Matthew Jamie Pierre, in Snowbird Utah. Jamie Pierre is best known for his world record achievement…

22 Sep 2011

Avalanche talks back in UK

Avalanche talks back in UK

The hugely successful HAT (Henry’s Avalanche Talks) series is back in the UK this October, on tour of the country’s indoor snow centres. The talks are well worth getting along to if you can,…

2 Apr 2011

Huge Swiss avalanche kills ski tourers

Huge Swiss avalanche kills ski tourers

The second major avalanche to hit Switzerland in a week has claimed the lives of three ski tourers in the Val d’Anniviers. The avalanche struck on Friday above Ayer, near Grimentz, in the Val d’Anniviers…

11 Jan 2011

Huge avalanche kills four in Val d’Isére

Huge avalanche kills four in Val d’Isére

A massive avalanche in the French resort of Val d’Isére has left four skiers dead, including one Briton. The avalanche struck at 10:30am on Tuesday 11 January and measured almost 300m wide and 750m…

10 Jan 2011

Britain’s first avalanche park opens

Britain’s first avalanche park opens

Britain’s first avalanche training park has opened in the Scottish Highlands. Glencoe Ski Centre was chosen as the base for the park, which provides free transceiver training to anyone heading out…

19 Apr 2010

British ski tourer killed in Zermatt

British ski tourer killed in Zermatt

A British ski tourer has died in Zermatt, following an avalanche on Sunday 18 April. As reported in a Swiss news bulletin (24-Heures.ch) on Sunday 18 April, a guided party of ski tourers – including…

30 Dec 2008

Second avalanche at Jackson Hole hits restaurant

Just two days after a fatal avalanche at Jackson Hole, a second slide has struck the ski area - this time spilling through a mountain restaurant.According to the Associated Press, the small avalanche happened…

29 Dec 2008

Another in-bounds avalanche claims life

An in-bounds avalanche at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, claimed the life of a 31-year old man on Saturday 27 December.The man and a companion were skiing on an expert (double-black diamond) trail called Paintbrush,…

Back to news

Search news