Avalanche Center (CSAC) - Avalanche News and Website Updates

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Selected Recent Avalanche News Stories

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December 07 , 2022 - Report released on avalanche control helicopter crash

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released a seven-page report Nov. 2 on the March 16 tail rotor strike and roll over of an Airbus Helicopters AS350 B3 helicopter in the Kootenay Valley, 35 NM north of Nelson. The report points to the cumulative effects of weather in the mishap. More ...

November 29 , 2022 - "The Snow War" (1979) Digitized by NFB of Canada

The National Film Board of Canada’s Collection Curator recently digitized The Snow War, a film directed by Harold Tichenor in 1979, depicting the efforts of a mobile avalanche-control team to keep open the important Rogers Pass, situated in Glacier National Park, nestled in between Revelstoke and Golden. (A link to the video is included in the article.) More ...

September 23 , 2022 - Avalanche-monitoring radar set up in Sikkim along LAC

The first avalanche monitoring radar has been installed at a forward post in north Sikkim along the boundary with China. Located at an altitude of 15,000 ft, the radar, the first of its kind in India, has the capability to detect an avalanche within three seconds of its trigger and will assist in saving lives of troops and reducing damage to property. More ...

August 11, 2022 - PIEPS and Black Diamond avalanche transceivers recalled

Black Diamond Equipment of Salt Lake City, Utah, is recalling about 87,600 avalanche transceivers sold in the U.S. and Canada. This recall involves the PIEPS Pro BT, Powder BT, DSP Sport, DSP Pro, DSP Pro Ice, Micro BT Button, Micro BT Sensor, and Micro BT Race avalanche transceivers and the Black Diamond branded Recon BT and Guide BT avalanche transceivers. Pieps DSP Sport, DSP Pro, and DSP Pro Ice avalanche transceivers were previously recalled in 2021. The transceivers may not switch from SEND mode into SEARCH mode. No injuries have been reported. More ...

January 21, 2022 - New simulations can improve avalanche forecasting

Computer simulations of snow cover can accurately forecast avalanche hazard, according to a new study from Simon Fraser University. Currently, avalanche forecasts in Canada are made by professionals who rely on data from local weather stations and observations. But simulated snow cover models developed by a team of researchers are able detect and track weak layers of snow and identify avalanche hazard in a completely different way—and can provide forecasters with another reliable tool when local data is insufficient or not available. More ...

March 2, 2017 - New Avalanche and Snow Burial Practice Guidelines

With the growing popularity of backcountry snow activities, it is increasingly important to understand the best techniques for avalanche rescue. The Wilderness Medical Society has issued new practice guidelines to help medical professionals, as well as the public, understand the latest techniques and recommendations for avalanche risk management and rescue protocols. More ...