Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding

Sunday, 15 June, 2008

PGHM celebrates 50 years of mountain rescue

The Chamonix High Mountain Police based in Chamonix have been celebrating their 50th anniversary this weekend. The Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne (PGHM) or more simply “le PG” was born out of tragedy. In 1956 two young climbers, Jean Vincendon and François Henry, were stranded on Mont Blanc in terrible conditions in full view of skiers and the world media opposite on the Brevent. Poorly equipped with unclear chains of command the rescue services consisting of guides and the army (EHM) proved powerless to help. The men were left to an agonising fate in atrocious conditions. The era of none-professional mountain rescue was over.

Posted by davidof at 09:34 PM
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Monday, 09 June, 2008

DBO

I was apprehensive when Bruno called. I knew him from Grenoble ski touring circles and wondered if I would be up to the mark. I needn’t have worried. Passionate about the mountains he was relaxed and friendly. Our destination was la Grande Chible and maybe the Pointe d’Emy. 1500 meters of ski touring so early in the season was asking a lot of me but I was pleased to be out in the mountains in pleasant company. For Bruno this would be a walk in the park.

Adieu Bruno (DBO)

Posted by davidof at 10:08 PM
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Wednesday, 04 June, 2008

Walkers killed by avalanche in the cirque de Gavarnie

Accordng to the High Mountain Police (PGHM) based at Pierrefitte Nestalas in the Hautes-Pyrénées two walkers have fallen to their deaths this afternoon in the cirque de Gavarnie. The two victims, aged in their late 50s where at the échelle des Sarradets. According to capitain Bertrand Couret, spokesman for the PGHM “it is likely that they were taken by a snow purge… there is a lot of snow above 2000 meters and the conditions are like winter with a high risk of avalanche”.

Posted by davidof at 06:45 PM
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Saturday, 31 May, 2008

Avalanche on the Aiguille du Midi

A 28 year old ski tourer has been killed by a slab avalanche close to the Aiguille du Midi above Chamonix. The man was carried 800 meters by the slide which occured at 9h30 on the north side of the Col du Plan.

Ski "Face Nord Col du Plan" Chamonix
Uploaded by jimyblackprod

Posted by davidof at 09:04 PM
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Friday, 30 May, 2008

Drug taking in ski mountaineering

Ten drug tests on ski mountaineers made at the end of the 2008 edition of the Patrouille des Glaciers (PdG) have indicated that one of the participants may have been using EPO. There have been persistent rumours of some drug use in ski mountaineering. Last year the Swiss Army, which runs the PdG, signed an agreement with Swiss Olympic to introduce drug testing.

Patrouille des Glaciers
Uploaded by Petzl-crew

Posted by davidof at 10:31 AM
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Thursday, 01 May, 2008

SAM 2008

The Mountain Equipment Mondial returned to Palexpo in Grenoble last week and the emphasis was firmly on sustainable development, a subject close to our hearts. However, sustainable, for alpine skiing, doesn’t necessarily mean environmentally friendly.

sam 2008
20C and real snow!

Posted by davidof at 08:07 PM
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Wednesday, 30 April, 2008

Chamonix Freeride Days – 10th Anniversary

This Sunday is the 10th anniversary of the Chamonix Freeride Days. It is hard to imagine that the season is nearly over. The freeride days will be held at Grands Montets. The organizers want to settle the question, who is the better skier, downhill or freerider? Now we know that downhill skiers have the technique but can they ski off the groomed corduroy? What about freeriders, all speed and no skill?

freeride days

Posted by davidof at 09:49 AM
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Thursday, 24 April, 2008

Multiple burials revisited

There is quite a battle raging in the normally sedate world of avalanche research. On the one hand Team Backcountry Access says that true multiple burials are so rare that backcountry travellers should focus on shovelling and probing techniques, on the other side Manuel Genswein, avalanche educator and expert in multiple burial search techniques, accuses the other side of “statistical tricks” and says Backcountry Access are ignoring the “inconvenient truth” that the Tracker beacon is technologically“out of date”.

Posted by davidof at 04:16 PM
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Monday, 21 April, 2008

Gavarnie cut off by monster avalanche

The only access road to the Pyrenean ski resort of Gavarnie has been blocked by an enormous snow slide. A motorist travelling down from the resort was surprised by a slow moving avalanche late yesterday afternoon. The slide is some 15 meters deep and 150 meters wide. The local authorities have had to ask neighbouring areas to send equipment to help clear the blockage.

Posted by davidof at 10:06 AM
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Sunday, 20 April, 2008

Winter conditions leads to rise in avalanche deaths

A return to winter conditions has brought a smile to the faces of ski resorts as they look towards the end of the season but has also brought a significant increase in avalanche incidents. A reminder that the conditions that lead to unstable snow conditions are not confined to the winter months. There have been 15 confirmed deaths over the winter in France with 9 occuring during March and April. Yesterday an experienced ski tourer was killed in the Maritime Alpes and two other skiers seriously injured above l’Alpe d’Huez.

Pioches couloir
Couloir des Pioches, alpe d’Huez