unfortunately a man was killed by the avalanche at Mont Joly, he was taken over 30 meter cliff and died from his injuries.

Conditions continue to be sketchy in mountains with a number of avalanches yesterday. First off a video from the Pointe de Blonnière, combe ouest (it is the south and west faces that seem to have the most risk of slabs at the moment following a long episode of North to Easterly siberian winds).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=FR&hl=fr&v=kpIfh_72fx8

One might question whether having an ABS had made the skiers overconfident.

After we descended from the Dent du Châtelet which was completely icy at the summit we found ok snow, good in places on the west facing slopes around 1800/2000m which had just become exposed to the sun. Nico and I were skiing relaxed, profiting from the good snow, settled powder that was a bit physical but we were really enjoying it. We arrived at a roll-over and I suddenly felt the snow give beneath my skis. I warned Nico who managed to escape but I was in the thick of it and I quickly realised I was stuck so I pulled my ABS. Luckily the slab was not large, about 30m, and not thick. I finished a few meters down in free air.

My analysis
- we were not alert, in a spot where we would normally leave some space, zones at risk, rollovers, we skied together making strong turns
- We didn’t worry about the rollover, which was obvious, it was only after skiing over it I understood
- the BRA announced a risk of 2 under 2000m, with the risk of some slabs that could trap you underneath cols, ridges or rolloevers, we were right in that zone

In conclusion, stay alert and keep a good gap when necessary, even if it is fun to ski together et watch out for classic traps which end up catching us out

In the Bauges a man from Chapereillan suffered multiple injuries on Saturday morning after triggering an avalanche above the Jarsy. He was rescued by friends before being taken to hospital by helicopter.

In the Mont Blanc range the long search for Polish national Marcin Kuffel is over. He went missing in mid-December but was found yesterday by English climbers by the steps leading to the Couvercle refuge. A part of his clothing was visible on the surface after being uncovered by recent high winds.

The Pyrenees has suffered from a long period of extended avalanche risk. At la Mongie a local man was caught by an avalanche on the Pain de Sucre at 2200 meters. A sk instructor gave the alert around 13h30 after spotting tracks leading into the slide. Rescuers then found a ski on the surface and located the victim thanks to his avalanche beacon. An extensive search of the slide revealed no other skiers. The man had a body temperature of just 27°C when he was found and had to be resuscitated at the scene. He had spent around 30minutes under 30cm of snow. The slab broke as the man skied below a rock band and carried him some 150 meters.

Finally in Switzerland a 33 year old tourist was killed by an avalanche in the Parsenn sector of Davos. He was buried under 160cm of snow and was not wearing a beacon and in the Val Müstair a skier was injured ski touring after been buried by a slide. He was rescued by his friends before being taken to hospital by the Rega.

Unfortunately the pyrenean avalanche victim died this morning in hospital.

There was another fatality in Switzerland a 52 year old ski tourer was taken by a slide at Calanda in the Rhine valley.
http://www.lematin.ch/faits-divers/skieur-estonien-perd-vie-avalanche/story/14284732

From da Google translate-

Alive after an hour trapped by an avalanche

A skier and a snowboarder who were off piste on the “blanche” in the Grand Tourmalet, were caught in an avalanche. The skier was buried but was miraculously unharmed.

“It’s nice when someone comes out unscathed. But we told them off because the conditions are not good for going off-piste. We maintained the 3 avalanche risk because there are still dangers, “says Jean-Pierre Carriorbe, responsible for the safety of La Mongie. After the slide that took the life on Saturday (see above), another skier was buried under an avalanche yesterday afternoon, and he was found unharmed by the ski patrol station. This is a true miracle.

“I was very lucky,” says the skier who lives in the Béarn. “I practice off-piste for 40 years. I ski 60 days a year. We were well-equipped probe, shovel. beacon.” It had been two days since he was on the Blanche: an off-piste itinerary departing from the Taoulet. This is a classic that offers a nice downhill in Val d’Arizes. Francis (1) had already descended the Blanche in the morning. Then about 14 hours, he does it again with a buddy snowboarder. “I know the place. The conditions were almost the same as the morning. There was not much difference in temperature. The route was had a lot of tracks. There is no snow conditions without risk, “says Francis. He went first, his friend Martin follows on snowboard. “After a few turns, a big slab went under my feet. The slide filled the gully where you were. I tried to get out to the right, left. No way. I then went straight and I had the opportunity to get out of the gully to the right. I threw myself between two trees. The avalanche continued to down the gulley, “says Martin. “I thought that Francois had escaped the bottleneck on the other side. I whistled, called. I thought it was him when I came down. But I didn’t find anyone. And I was now too low. It was too late to get back on the avalanche. So I alerted the emergency services, “says Martin.

Yohan Pericat, Arnaud Mead and Frederick Bruel, three pisteurs from La Mongie, then ski down from the Taoulet, on the Blanche. “The visibility was not good. It was whiteout. We had trouble finding the avalanche. At first we had rather weak signals from his beacon. Then, we found evidence: ski sticks. We continued on an area where there was a second slide. Then using my beacon, I found him. His face was clear, he could breath. That’s what saved him. We uncovered him with a shovel and warmed him. He was in mild hypothermia, “said Yohan Pericat.

“Caught in an avalanche, I tried to swim, to put myself on my back. it worked and I could breathe. This allowed me to wait. “Francis has remained buried in the snow for about 1 hour. Without this air pocket, he would not have made it “. I did not know if my friend was caught or not.”

“They were very lucky because it was a big avalanche, with a depth of 100cm a line 600 m to 400 m elevation and, in some places, 150 m wide. The pisteurs at La Mongie have done an excellent job,” congratulates Xavier Lumpert of the CRS mountain police rescue unit. The pisteurs descended the skier to Tramezaïgues on a sled. The weather prevented the helicopter from landing. Caution is advised for the following days due to the thaw. Observe the safety instructions posted at the stations. Seek advice from professionals.

* Names have been changed

http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2012/02/20/1288289-avalanches-un-miracule-et-un-mort.html

Note:-
Conditions seemed good and they were well equipped but
- poor visibility made the S&R job difficult, risk was 3/5 I believe (will check this)
- friend didn’t try searching from where he escaped the slide
- terrain traps

davidof - 19 February 2012 12:09 PM

In the Bauges a man from Chapereillan suffered multiple injuries on Saturday morning after triggering an avalanche above the Jarsy. He was rescued by friends before being taken to hospital by helicopter.

22 rescue workers and 2 helicopters involved in this operation. As I suspected this turns out to be a guy I’ve skied with on a couple of occasions. It is the 4th avalanche incident he’s been involved in since 2008, which is pretty good going. A real near miss, he was taken 200 m and ended up just above cliffs.

Another fatal incident, this time in the Chablais above the ski area of Bellevaux. Around 11am two ski tourers triggered a slab while climbing a steep couloir (there are a couple of steep couloirs on this summit: le Thermos and the Central West, along with a NW couloir, all would have been on the lee-side of recent winds). The two men were carried over 30 meter cliffs. The PGHM from Chamonix attended the scene. One of the man was killed by the fall, the other, seriously injured, was taken to hospital in Sallanches.

No updates for a while but the two Trip Reports are posted on the main page

http://pistehors.com/news/forums/viewthread/1182/

http://pistehors.com/news/forums/viewthread/1180/

It is difficult to find good conditions from summit to trail head at the moment. Some where you are going to find soggy snow, crud or mush and the current heatwave (well above average temperatures for February) looks set to intensify and continue another 2 weeks. Well with more freeze/thaw cycles at least the sun exposed slopes should start to offer better spring skiing conditions. Since Wednesday we’ve had a temperature inversion and it has not been below freezing at 2000m. Things are a bit colder. Even on piste conditions were choppy by midday.

Still some large avalanches. Another piste hit, this time at Crosets in Switzerland

http://www.24heures.ch/vaud-regions/Une-avalanche-descend-sur-une-piste-des-Crosets/story/15291415

there have been a lot of this type of avalanche this season. Usually relatively slow moving so you have a chances to get out the way if you are not on the slab, you’d have to be very unlucky to get caught by one of these monsters, they are dangerous if you are skiing avalanche channels where they can overrun you. There seem to be a lot around due to the large dump of snow at the start of December on warm ground to which the snow is poorly bonded. With the arrival of spring they weak bonds are being broken.

Saturday also saw a couple of ski tourers, husband and wife, caught by an avalanche at the col d’Artigascou above Melles in the French Pyrenees near to Luchon. The husband was able to escape the slide but his wife was badly injured. A man also broke his wrist ski touring at the col de Barèges after he fell.

Sorry not been out on the snow today, I have a heavy chest cold (or man ‘flu as my wife calls it)

A snow shoer who has been missing in the Bauges near Doucy since Saturday has been found dead by the rescue services. Obviously a victim of an avalanche sometime on Saturday. Her boss contacted her family when she failed to turn up for work on Monday morning. A major search operation was put in place and backcountry enthusiasts were asked if they had seen the victim at the week-end.

An avalanche expert in Austria has been killed by a slide, from Google Translate (note snow cannot weigh 2.5 tonnes / meter m3)

In an inspection tour of the local avalanche warning Commission in Obertauern (in the Salzburg district Pongau) today, Wednesday, at 9.25 clock has been an avalanche expert from Tamsweg himself swept up in a snow board and killed.

The very experienced 44-year-old was determined with a colleague on skis in an open area in the Seekarspitzbahn at a board of commission, if the slopes away from the slopes would have to lift it, and whether facilities are locked. Shortly before the end of this safety inspection, he joined himself off a slab.

“Both men are very experienced people,” said the head of the official Salzburg avalanche warning service and disaster adviser to the country, Norbert Altenhofer. The victim was 25 years employed by the lifts and, since 2007, Deputy Chairman of the Sub-Commission avalanches.

Paid particular attention to two men in the elevator company in its risk assessment on those near-piste slopes, which are used most frequently by freeriding. Especially because for the course of the day, an increase of the avalanche warning level of 2 was announced on 3. As is evident from the police report, is when driving one of these links in the so-called trough solved a 50-meter wide slab avalanche experts and 200 yards wide swept into the valley. “This is no fault of the employee, but a form of residual risk,” said Altenhofer.

Extremely wet and heavy snow

The slab avalanche buried the 44-year-old trail boss of the elevator company about five feet deep. “The extremely wet snow weighs at these temperatures around 2.5 tonnes per cubic meter,” said Heinz Lammerding of the district administration Tamsweg.

Several skiers, who had observed the accident, and the 42-year-old colleague of the victim raised the alarm. All available forces of the elevator operator went with avalanche transceivers and probes to the scene and were able to Tamsweg, which was equipped with an avalanche beep, probe and shovel, after 15 to 20 minutes to locate and recover a further ten minutes. They could help the man but just as the mountain rescue Obertauern, the Alpine police and the ambulance.

Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful

The person responsible for the safety of the slopes avalanche expert was rescued unconscious from the wet snow. Even this relatively short period was too long - all resuscitation attempts by emergency doctor were unsuccessful, the victim died on the spot. “He has for the safety of the skiers left their lives,” said Lammer. The man leaves behind two children.

http://www.nachrichten.at/nachrichten/chronik/art58,829670

and a full depth avalanche at les Diablerets

http://www.rts.ch/info/suisse/3821002-une-avalanche-aurait-emporte-2-a-3-personnes-aux-diablerets.html

Several skiers were swept away by an avalanche Wednesday afternoon at Les Diablerets (VD). The cast went off at the head Meilleret in an area off-piste around 15:00, said a spokesman for the Vaud cantonal police.

The police were waiting confirmation of the presence of two persons under the snow slide. REGA and a relief column were incurred for research. Thirty rescuers have been mobilized. Casting, which measures some seventy feet wide, slid down the road for 200 meters. It has not affected the ski slopes.

davidof - 29 February 2012 10:45 PM

Several skiers were swept away by an avalanche Wednesday afternoon at Les Diablerets (VD). The cast went off at the head Meilleret in an area off-piste around 15:00, said a spokesman for the Vaud cantonal police.

There’s some doubt about whether anyone was caught. There’s conflicting eyewitness reports.

It’s a commonly skied slope, very inviting to the holidaymaker. A drag takes you to a ridge-line and a run goes skiers left to the top of runs linking back to Les Diablerets with another going straight down. People then walk skiers right along the ridge and drop in curving back to the pisted runs. Very, very accessible, an open slope with a clear objective so it’s tempting. But the angle is about on the nail for risk as is the aspect and the time of day.

It is holiday time,as I came down the col Great St Bernard with a group yesterday around lunch time we saw people heading up without any equipment at all, it’s a well travelled route but the slopes are steep at the sides especially with this weather so you have to worry. Doubly for us, I got back and some b&b guests were out until late so I began to fret they were involved in the slide at Les Diablerets.

ise - 01 March 2012 09:04 AM

There’s some doubt about whether anyone was caught. There’s conflicting eyewitness reports.

It seems not, the dogs would have given them a good initial idea if there were victims. I think the Swiss have had enough probing practise this year now.

With the 24 hour news cycle we seem to have had a few initial dramatic but incorrect reports as news sources rush to publish. The la Grave guide incident is another example where the initial information was confused although not of great importance to the overall outcome of that tragedy.

davidof - 01 March 2012 09:30 AM

With the 24 hour news cycle we seem to have had a few initial dramatic but incorrect reports as news sources rush to publish. The la Grave guide incident is another example where the initial information was confused although not of great importance to the overall outcome of that tragedy.

I’m not sure that’s really a factor, the press reports information as it becomes available to them. Typically that’s the local press and it’s not really widely read outside that area. Most skiers are getting their information from the internet where it’s 1% information and 99% conjecture from an armchair expert in a different country speculating on the details of an incident in a location they’ve never visited, based on reports in a language they don’t speak. Caveat Emptor I suppose.

davidof - 16 February 2012 09:37 PM

unfortunately a man was killed by the avalanche at Mont Joly, he was taken over 30 meter cliff and died from his injuries.

Just got around to reading this ...  Not trying to be an arm chair critic nor to guess the circumstances of the catastrophe but some thoughts that will certainly add to my decision making.

What struck me first was how little information or awareness was made available locally .. I have to admit only reading the headlines and the weather in the papers, but nothing - to explain -
We (members of my family and some friends) were in St Gervais for this week - it being the UK half-term. our daughters who were with us are not into climbing up if they can help it so this trip was much more about staying close to the lifts and in “relative” safety, but enjoying what was on offer.
The only hint of anything wrong was the helicopter came in low over the main lift station while we were having a sandwich. This was no different to as if someone had been injured on the piste. If this had happened where I work then there would be a whole string of notices and lessons to be learned for the incident posted in prominent places. I know the companies do not want to scare people off but a healthy regard for the dangers is helpful.

Now on reflection there were some other factors that could have influenced things ...

The weather at the start of the week had been bitterly cold. The snow was well tracked, and all the main routes away from the marked highways were like un-groomed piste. This does give a false sense of security.
We had even been up to Mont Joly and done a couple of runs back to the piste (on the Megeve side) and everything looked and seemed stable and consolidated.

Then we had a day of snowfall which put down more than 15 cms
The following day (the fateful day) the morning was clear and bright sun and this brought out a real frenzy with groups charging all over the place with very little regard for circumstances just that no one had been there before that day. There was definitely a feeling of people going places they would not have even thought of two days previously.

The following day (also bright and sunny) we went up to Les Contamines for a change of scenery ..  here the snow was different completely to the “other” side. there were wide slides right down to the grass (unfortunately I did not get any pictures) and all at a similar height on the slope right down the length of the ridge like a series of breaking waves. these slides did not go far (less than 10m) and ended up creating a bergschrund effect. None of these were visible from on top. the contrast between the two side was bigger than I had expected, and probably comes from the sun trap that Contamines side has, and would have been a real shock to any one riding the lift up the Megeve side and wanting to ride down the Contamines side.

Anyway just some thoughts