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2026 Archive Index - All Editions

Welcome to the second edition of 2026! We archive news by calendar year and links to the index pages should have been updated to this years page. For recent editions you still need to go to the 2025 page. If you find any incorrect links report that to snow@csac.org

In This Edition:

2 soldiers, civilian die in avalanche in Pakistan

Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Two soldiers and a civilian were killed in an avalanche in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, the military said. A snow-clearing operation was conducted in the area to facilitate operational movement of troops, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said in a statement on Saturday. During the operation, a snow slide occurred, and three soldiers and a civilian machine operator were trapped, said the ISPR, adding that after intensive efforts, all four individuals were rescued from the snow. However, the condition of two soldiers and the civilian deteriorated, and the three individuals lost their lives, said the ISPR.
Source ... (english.news.cn)

Avalanche closed U.S. 395 north of Mammoth

Due to snow from an avalanche, southbound U.S. 395 in California was closed near Wilson Butte south of State Route 158, according to a Sunday, Jan. 4, Caltrans District 9 Facebook post at 9:36 a.m. There was one-way traffic control while snow is being removed from the roadway. The California Highway Patrol - Bridgeport escorted motorists using the northbound lanes, the post said.
Source ... (KOLOtv)

Avalanche drags skier 200 metres at Rogers Pass

A Rogers Pass ski tour group got the slide of the year on Dec. 28, after an avalanche sailed a party member 200 metres down Avalanche Crest, leaving bruises and taking a ski in the process. Despite good snow conditions overall on the powdery slopes just east of the Trans-Canada Highway, a group of four’s Mountain Information Network (MIN) report for that Sunday morning indicated one skier ended up partly buried and injured. The skier-triggered avalanche, estimated as Size 1.5 with a storm slab thickness of 15 centimetres, caught one backcountry user at around 2,150 metres in elevation and dragged them downslope to about 1,950 metres. The entire snowslide ran for roughly 300 metres. The party member “got bruised and lost a ski while being dragged down,” their companion wrote in the MIN report, noting their group triggered multiple other small storm slab pockets between 10 and 20 cm thick “here and there.” Size 1 avalanches are “relatively harmless,” according to Avalanche Canada, while Size 2 events can bury, injure or kill people.
Source ... (Revelstoke Review)

Transport ministry apologizes for avalanche blasting disturbances

December 22, 2025 - B.C.’s Transportation Ministry has formally apologized to the Revelstoke public for a series of blasts it detonated for avalanche training Nov. 20, which surprised and unsettled numerous residents. Posts populated the Revelstoke Community Facebook on Nov. 20 inquiring about more than a dozen explosions heard on the west side the Columbia River. Some residents reported their homes shaking, while others described having to calm down their pets after the unexpected shock.

The Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) said it conducted training on that day for deploying avalanche control explosives by helicopter. This occurred north of Revelstoke on a mountain slope next to Westside Road. “This training ensures staff readiness for the upcoming avalanche season and is critical to help keep both workers and the public safe,” MOTT emphasized. “The ministry does this training annually under provincial and federal safety rules. Due to weather conditions, the training location changed slightly compared to previous years, which is likely why nearby residents heard the blasts,” MOTT explained. “The ministry apologizes for any inconveniences this situation may have caused the community.”
More ... (Revelstoke Review)

Climbers’ weight sparked fatal Christmas avalanche

09.01.2026 • 09:05 - A detailed investigation into a Christmas Day avalanche that killed four climbers on Mount Vardousia in Central Greece has revealed they triggered the slide early in their ascent. The volunteer team from the Hellenic Mountaineering Federation concluded the climbers’ weight caused a weak snow layer to collapse, triggering the avalanche that enveloped them.

The victims were found within 1.5 meters of each other, with personal items like sunglasses and hats still nearby, suggesting they were swept from a lower elevation. Heavy snowfall the previous day deposited 20-30 centimeters atop a 10-20 cm ice layer, creating unstable conditions. The slab avalanche’s crown extended approximately 400 m across the slope.

“The gully and the morphology of the site acted as a terrain trap, multiplying the consequences for the victims,” the report states. Investigators emphasized Greece lacks organized avalanche bulletins.
Source ... (ekathimerini)
More on this incident (avalanche-center.org)

Small avalanches in Juneau after evacuation advisory

January 9, 2026 - Two small avalanches released on a slide path of Mount Juneau, above the Behrends neighborhood, as Ezra Strong was on a walk this morning in the pouring rain. The city issued an evacuation advisory about an hour earlier for Juneau residents in all known slide paths downtown and along Thane Road. Strong and his wife live on Gruening Avenue with their dog. He said he’s not heeding the advisory. “I think in part because we’re a little bit protected by a rock wall and some other things behind us, in part because we have seen slides come down before on the main slide path that didn’t even get close to us,” he said.

During an online press conference Friday morning, the City & Borough of Juneau’s new Avalanche Advisor John Bressette said that many small slides reduce the hazard by decreasing the amount of snow that could be released in a larger slide. “So it’s actually a good thing that we’re seeing smaller slides reducing the total snow load that is capable of producing an avalanche,” Bressette said.

Some avalanches released above the Flume Trail today. The Alaska DoT confirmed numerous small avalanches along Thane Road Friday morning. The agency expects more avalanches this evening since the forecast shows continued heavy rainfall, strong winds and warming temperatures. The closure of Thane Road could be extended multiple days.

Carlos Cadiente lives in the Behrends slide path. He evacuated at around 11:30 a.m. in one vehicle while his wife drove behind in another. He said this is the first time they’ve heeded an avalanche evacuation advisory in the decades they’ve lived here.
More ... (KTOO)