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2025 Archive Index - All Editions

In This Edition:

Remembering the 1995 Avalanche Tragedy at Flateyri, Westfjords

October 26, 2025 - Today marks the 30th anniversary of the tragic avalanche that struck the village of Flateyri in Iceland’s Westfjords. The natural disaster, one of the few Iceland has experienced, occurred on the morning of 26 October 1995, destroying or damaging more than 17 houses. In the early hours of 26 October 1995 (4.00 am), an avalanche descended from an area known as Skollahvilft. The immense snowfall buried a row of houses in the settlement, impacting some 45 people. 21 escaped unassisted, four were rescued alive, and the rest sadly perished, bringing the death toll to 20.

The event occurred within a year that had already seen another major avalanche in the region: in January 1995 the village of Súðavík had been struck, with 14 fatalities. The twin disasters exposed vulnerabilities in both avalanche-prediction systems and protective infrastructure in Iceland’s mountainous coastal communities. Following the disaster, major efforts were undertaken to enhance avalanche defences and improve community resilience. In Flateyri, a large protective dam was constructed in 1998, designed to deflect avalanches away from the village. The avalanche catastrophe also led to a re-examination of hazard zoning, evacuation procedures, and rescue logistics in remote areas under severe weather.
More ... (Iceland Review)

Researchers explore human factors in avalanche safety

In the world of avalanche safety, most lessons focus on analyzing snowpacks and slopes. However, according to researchers Jerry Johnson and Jordy Hendrikx, the real danger lies in human behavior — how people think, interact and sometimes push each other beyond safe limits. They wrote their book “Making Decisions in Avalanche Terrain: Human Factors in Theory and Practice” to teach skiers, snowboarders and hikers how to deal with and prevent avalanche-related accidents. The book focuses on the relationship between human decision-making and avalanche danger and how factors such as peer pressure can increase risk. Johnson worked as a political science professor and research associate for MSU’s Snow and Avalanche Laboratory, a position he remained in for nearly 35 years. He specialized in survey research and design and decision science. Hendrikx is the former director of the MSU Snow and Avalanche Laboratory.
More ... (Explore Big Sky)

Avalanche assessment in the Himalaya

Avalanche assessment in the Himalaya - machine learning and numerical modelling: Snow avalanches pose a significant threat to infrastructure and communities. Avalanches widely affect the Western Himalayan basins every year. This study evaluates avalanche susceptibility and hazard in the Chandra-Bhaga and Upper Beas basins of the Western Himalaya using machine learning and numerical modelling. A variety of machine learning algorithms - including Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression, and Artificial Neural Network - were tested and compared using a comprehensive set of avalanche predictive factors, to assess avalanche susceptibility at the basin scale. The random forest model achieved 88.73% accuracy. 1,484 potential avalanches were simulated for hazard and exposure analysis. Findings reveal that ~8% of the region is highly susceptible to avalanches, particularly in Lahaul and Spiti. With a snow release-depth of 0.5 m originating from the high and very-high avalanche susceptible slopes, ~161 buildings and 7 lakes are exposed to potential avalanches. In a worst-case scenario with a 3-meter avalanche release-depth, the exposure significantly increases to ~557 buildings and 9 lakes. The findings of the study are crucial for site specific detailed avalanche forecasting and can serve as a base for identifying avalanche hotspots.
More ... (Nature)

36 people were ‘buried alive’ for a test

A team of 36 volunteers took part in a scientific study to test a new device designed to help people survive being trapped in snow after an avalanche. The experiment examined whether the user-worn device could delay oxygen loss and prevent the buildup of carbon dioxide under snow. The study was carefully supervised, and each participant was removed as soon as their vital signs showed any health risk. The research took place at a field site in Italy between January and March 2023. The device, called the Safeback SBX, was created to draw air from the surrounding snow and direct it to a person’s airways. It functions without the need for external oxygen or a mouthpiece, which sets it apart from traditional systems.
More ... (Hindustan Times)