Sign up to receive this in your email
(No more than once daily, often less depending on the amount of new news.)

2025 Archive Index - All Editions

In This Edition:

250 Sheep and Goats die in Avalanche in India

Meanwhile, 250 sheep and goats died after getting buried in an avalanche that struck Jarasu Pass in Chamba district. The shepherds had a narrow escape in the avalanche that occurred Friday (Oct 24?). According to information, the shepherds were returning to Kangra when the avalanche barrelled down on them just as they were crossing the treacherous Jarasu mountain pass in Holi area of Bharmour. Two shepherds suffered frostbite and were rescued by villagers.
More ... (Times of India)

Turning tragedy into a philosophy

In January 2003, snow conditions north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, were ripe for avalanche. Fall rain had hardened to a crust on top of a layer of snow, and this crust was subsequently covered by more snow, creating deep instability in the snowpack. Ken Wylie was an apprentice ski guide that season, working toward his IFMG certification. He knew the snow conditions that winter were unstable. He was nervous about them. He admits he was also afraid of contradicting the certified guide he was apprenticing under, causing him to not speak up or take firm action about his concerns. Then, on Jan. 20, 2003, an avalanche struck the 21-member group Wylie was helping lead, burying 13 of them, including Wylie. He was rescued, mostly unharmed, 45 minutes later. In the end, however, seven members of the group were buried too long and died of asphyxiation. 

“A year after the tragic event, I was presenting to a group of avalanche professionals when someone in the back of the room said: ‘It was really obvious that you had a dangerous snowpack, and the avalanche danger rating was “considerable” — so what were you doing there with 21 people?,’ ” Wylie said. “It was a difficult question. I didn’t know how to answer it, because the answer was way bigger than I had words for at the time.” The audience member’s question made Wylie dive deeper into the “why,” and in doing so he began to see a new layer in human factors: mindset.
More ... (Vertical)

Extreme avalanche seasons spur mountain goat declines

Mountain goats stick to steep alpine terrain for good reason: protection from less agile predators, like wolves and even brown bears. But a key feature of that same habitat – avalanche risk – could threaten the stability of mountain goat populations in Southeast Alaska. “If you have multiple bad years in a row, that could really be catastrophic,” said ecologist Kevin White, a researcher with the University of Southeast Alaska and University of Victoria. White co-authored a paper, which was published late last month in Global Change Biology. The study concludes that avalanches can spur major mountain goat population declines – an important finding as climate change disrupts alpine environments around the world. The research uses a dataset that covers hundreds of individual goats over more than four decades. The data also covers multiple study areas that span Skagway, Klukwan, Haines, Baranof Island and beyond.
More ... (Alaska Public Media)

New Urban Avalanche Safety sign in Incline Village

Washoe County Emergency Management unveiled a new avalanche safety sign in Incline Village on Wednesday. The sign marks a step forward in public safety for the Lake Tahoe Basin’s only urban avalanche area. The sign was unveiled at 1002 Jennifer Street in Incline Village by Washoe County officials and partner agencies. The county’s emergency management team has collaborated with avalanche experts from around the world for years to better understand the risks facing the local community and how best to communicate them. The area includes Third Creek and Crystal Bay, both of which are within Washoe County’s designated urban avalanche zone.
More ... (NewsNevada)