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Archive Index - All Editions

Idaho’s ‘Avalanche Alley’

An 11-mile stretch of Idaho’s State Highway 21 hugs Canyon Creek between near-vertical mountain faces that climb nearly 3,000 feet above. The infamous stretch of highway between Grandjean and Banner Summit is more commonly known as “Avalanche Alley.” It’s one of just three highways in the United States that is in the high-risk category in the Avalanche Hazard Index, which calculates the danger that potential avalanches present to traffic.
Source ... (Idaho Statesman)

In-bounds controlled slide on Breckenridge’s Peak 7

With a challenging snowpack this winter season, Breckenridge Ski Resort’s avalanche mitigation work resulted in a significant ski-patrol-triggered slide on Peak 7 on Friday, Jan. 19. It was triggered using a hand charge that sent snow across most of the avalanche slide zones located under the summit of Peak 7. Breckenridge ski patrol director Hunter Mortensen believes the avalanche charge was placed in the south summit snowfield or the north summit snowfield before tons of snow slid down the mountain.

Like most ski-patrol-triggered slides within boundaries, the avalanche on Jan. 19 did not entrap or injure anyone, but the slide did cause damage to one of the platforms used for ski patrol’s avalanche blaster cannons, commonly called an “avalauncher.” “We had a platform at the bottom for the avalauncher,” Mortensen said. “The debris came down onto that and ran across the platform at the bottom of the bowl. It tipped things over and definitely surprised us a little bit.”
More ... (Summit Daily)

Glacier 3000 "Black Wall" run closed due to cracks

Glacier 3000 in Switzerland was forced to close its most famous run, the Black Wall. The Black Wall is considered one of the steepest slopes in the world and is the steepest black run in Switzerland. The slope had developed massive cracks, making skiing on the Black Wall extremely dangerous. The head of mountain operations at Glacier 3000 was quoted as saying that he had never seen anything like this in his 30-year career.

The run goes 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) down from the Col du Pillon. It is accessible through a tunnel and covers 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) in vertical, with a gradient of 46° in the steepest section.

Based on photos, the underlying ground, and the weather conditions this appears to be a result of snow glide. Similar to a previous news report from other areas where it is not unprecedented.
Source ... (Snowbrains)