Wednesday, 26 March, 2008
Avalanche Pic Mauberme
At almost the same time as four alpinists were killed on Pic du Midi du Bigorre (Pyrenees) on Friday, Paul Hadfield and I triggered a similar avalanche at the top of the Couloir Tartereau on Pic Mauberme just a few tens of miles further east but we were able to avoid being swept down the couloir.
Couloir de Tartereau - Les Inglis-Sharp
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Friday, 21 March, 2008
Four climbers killed by Pyrenees avalanche
Four climbers, described as “very experienced”, have been killed after falling on the Pic du Midi. It appears the group triggered a small snow slide as they were climbing towards the summit on a 45-50° slope. The climbers were at 2700 meters on the west side of the mountain in the top section of the couloir de Chiroulet.
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Thursday, 20 March, 2008
Another crevasse death on the Vallee Blanche
There has been another fatal crevasse fall on the popular Vallée Blanche route which leads down from the 3800 meter Aiguille du Midi to Chamonix. 80,000 skiers and snowboarders descend the “VB” between December and April.
Crevasse rescue on Vallee Blanche - courtesy of Firechick
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Saturday, 15 March, 2008
Respected Houches mountaineers killed by avalanche
Pierre and Marie-Jo Trappier have been killed by an avalanche while ski touring above les Houches. Pierre Trappier was well known amongst climbers and ski tourers. The “couloir Trappier” on the north side of the Aiguille du Goûter bears his name. The two victims were part of a group of five engaged in a couloir in the Cabane des Rognes sector.
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Friday, 14 March, 2008
Three ski fatalities in the Northern Alps
It has been a good winter for avalanche incidents in France with just 6 confirmed deaths. This record low can be attributed to the lack of snowfall and stable anticyclonic weather. This week winter was back with 30 to 80 cm of snow falling above 2200 meters accompanied by strong north-west winds. Enough to raise the avalanche risk to High early in the week. It was still Considerable today with a return to clear skies and sunny weather.
Aiguille Rouge, scene of fatal avalanche today
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Friday, 07 March, 2008
Dynafit Zzeus boots and Manaslu Skis
Last year’s splash with the introduction the Zzero ski touring boot range (amongst other goodies) would be a hard act to follow so Dynafit has opted for broadening and deepening its line-up by moving into Freeride territory with the Zzeus boot and Mansulu skis.
Dynafit Manaslu
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Sunday, 02 March, 2008
British boarder in VB crevasse fall
The recent hot, dry weather has left some open crevasses on glaciers and weakened a number of snow bridges. On Saturday a Chamonix guide was killed in the Ecrins when the ice pinnacle he was climbing collapsed. Today a British snowboarder has been killed descending the normal route on the Vallée Blanche when he fell into a crevasse.
Main routes on the Vallée Blanche
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Multiple Avalanche Burials, rarer than you think?
There is a great deal of focus by amateur backcountry enthusiasts on multiple burial avalanche accidents. It is a major factor in avalanche beacon choice with transceivers such as the Pieps DSP, Ortovox S1 and Barryvox Pulse simplifying the whole process with easy to read graphical displays. But should skiers and boarders be losing so much sleep over the multiple burial scenario?
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Saturday, 01 March, 2008
International Ski School loses trademark case
Ski schools in France are a litigious bunch. Last year we reported that the independent ski instructors union, the SIMS, was suing the ESF for misrepresentation for using the French flag in their publicity. Now it is the ESI’s turn to be on the receiving end of a court judgment.
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Thursday, 21 February, 2008
Melting glaciers worry the UN
The fact that Europe’s glaciers are shrinking is no longer news to anyone who goes skiing. A little over a century ago a Gap based botanist noticed changes in the flora on the terminal moraines in the Alps and published a prescient article entitled: “Are these indications of a coming change in climate?”. In the 50s and 60s the French Alpine Club’s house Magazine “Montagne” also published a series of articles on the shrinking glaciers that ski mountaineers had noticed. Now a report presented today in Monaco by the PNUE (Programme des Nations Unies pour l’environnement) shows just how serious the shrinkage has been.
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