Solo Skier Survives Being Carried and Partially Buried in Avalanche Near Aspen, CO A solo backcountry skier narrowly escaped serious injury after triggering a wet slab avalanche on June 1 in the Fourth of July Bowl area of Independence Pass, near Aspen, Colorado. The skier was swept 400 vertical feet downhill and became partially buried, with his head and one arm above the snow, according to a report on the Colorado Avalanche Information […] Avalanche AvyBrains | June 4, 2025 0 Comments
2 Rescued After Getting Caught in Avalanche Near Byron Glacier Valley, AK Two people were rescued by emergency crews Saturday afternoon after being caught in a spring avalanche in the Byron Glacier Valley near Portage Lake, Alaska, reports the Anchorage Daily News (ADN). Related: [VIDEO] Why Colorado Has Dangerous Avalanches Near Summer The Girdwood Fire Department and Alaska State Troopers responded to a call just before 1 p.m., launching a coordinated rescue in […] Avalanche AvyBrains | June 2, 2025 0 Comments
Bodies of 5 Backcountry Skiers Found After Avalanche Near Zermatt, Switzerland [Updated May 26] Five backcountry skiers were found dead Saturday, May 24, near the Rimpfischhorn, a towering 13,800-foot peak in the Pennine Alps east of Zermatt, Switzerland, after they failed to return from a high-altitude tour. Rescue services were alerted around 4:30 p.m. local time when two other skiers noticed several sets of abandoned skis near 13,100 feet on the […] Avalanche AvyBrains | May 26, 2025 0 Comments
Pro Snowboarder Eliot Dänzer, 23, Among 2 Killed in Eiger Avalanche Swiss authorities have confirmed that professional snowboarder Eliot Dänzer was one of two people killed in an avalanche on the Eiger on Saturday, May 17. The deadly slide, which struck at approximately 1:45 p.m., buried seven people who were part of two ski touring groups, prompting a large-scale rescue operation involving helicopters, avalanche dogs, and mountain rescue teams. Related: 2 […] Avalanche AvyBrains | May 20, 2025 0 Comments
Two Backcountry Skiers Killed in Avalanche Near Saas-Fee, Switzerland Two backcountry skiers tragically lost their lives on Saturday, May 17, after being caught in an avalanche while ascending the Alphubel, a 4,206-meter (13,799 feet) peak in the Swiss canton of Valais. The accident occurred at approximately 4,165 meters (13,665 feet) in the area known as the “ice nose” above the Täschhütte, a popular base for backcountry ski tours in […] Avalanche AvyBrains | May 19, 2025 0 Comments
2 Dead After 7 Swept Away and Buried by Avalanche on Eiger Peak, Switzerland [UPDATED: 12:45 p.m. PST] In a press release at 8:23 p.m. local time (12.23 p.m. PST), the Bernese cantonal police confirmed that seven people had been swept away and buried by an avalanche on the Eiger, Switzerland, killing two of them. The release is below: Lauterbrunnen: Five people rescued after avalanche – two dead On Saturday afternoon, an avalanche occurred […] Avalanche AvyBrains | May 17, 2025 0 Comments
Black Diamond Parent Company Offloads Pieps Avalanche Brand Following DSP Transceiver Controversy Clarus Corporation, the parent company of Black Diamond, has reached an agreement to sell its Pieps avalanche beacon brand and the JetForce avalanche pack intellectual property to a private investment firm for €7.8 million ($8.75 million). The deal, which includes both cash and debt, is expected to close before the end of the third quarter of 2025, pending customary closing […] Avalanche AvyBrains | May 14, 2025 0 Comments
Special Avalanche Advisory in Effect Across Colorado This Week Amid Unstable Spring Conditions A special avalanche advisory remains in effect statewide as Colorado currently shifts from a winter-like storm cycle to more typical spring conditions, according to an update shared by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC). While recent May weather brought widespread snowfall across the high country, forecasters warn that the coming days could bring sudden and unstable conditions as skies clear […] Avalanche AvyBrains | May 8, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Solo Skier Lucky to Escape Death After Huge Avalanche Carries Him 2,000 Feet in Alberta Backcountry A solo skier narrowly escaped death and injury after triggering a large avalanche in Miner’s Gully near Canmore, Alberta, on Saturday. The slide carried the skier almost 2,000 feet (600 meters) down a narrow gully, miraculously resulting in only a lost ski pole. The avalanche, witnessed by a third party who immediately called 911, began on weak basal facets in […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 29, 2025 0 Comments
Unprepared Hikers Lucky to Survive 2 Avalanches in French Pyrenees Two young brothers from Bordeaux, France, narrowly escaped tragedy on Thursday after being swept away by two successive avalanches while hiking above Lake Estom, near Cauterets in the French Pyrenees. The pair, both in their twenties, were not equipped for winter weather and lacked avalanche detection gear, according to rescue officials. Related: Last Week’s Level 5 Avalanche Rating in Europe […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 28, 2025 0 Comments
After 2 Deaths in 3 Days, Experts Warn That Spring is ‘the Most Dangerous Time of the Year’ in the British Columbia Backcountry Rescue teams are urging caution following two deaths in three days as spring transforms British Columbia’s backcountry, reports the Canadian Press. Related: Man Killed After Falling 800 Feet on Closed Run at Sugarloaf Mountain, ME, While Retrieving Glove Dropped From Chairlift Doug Pope, search manager with North Shore Rescue, describes spring as “probably the most dangerous time of year” in […] AvyBrains | April 24, 2025 0 Comments
Skier Injured by Avalanche Near Loveland Pass, CO, Rescued via Flight for Life Helicopter On Sunday, April 20, a skier sustained a severe ankle injury after being swept approximately 700 feet down the north face of Grizzly Peak, located near Loveland Pass in Colorado. The Summit Daily reports that the incident occurred during a wind slab avalanche, a common type in the region, which forms when wind deposits snow onto a leeward slope, creating a […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 22, 2025 0 Comments
Massive 6-Foot-Deep Avalanche Near Chairlift at Zermatt, Switzerland, Triggers Swift Rescue Operation—No Injuries Reported A massive avalanche broke loose Tuesday afternoon near the Furgghorn, just outside the famed resort town of Zermatt, prompting an intensive rescue response. Despite initial fears that skiers or snowboarders may have been caught in the slide, Air Zermatt reports that no victims were found. The avalanche measured several hundred meters wide, with an outlet zone stretching roughly 1,000 feet […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 22, 2025 0 Comments
Last Week’s Level 5 Avalanche Rating in Europe Was Extremely Rare The April 2025 storm, which dumped over three feet (one meter) of snow in 48 hours in parts of France, Switzerland, and Italy, prompted authorities to declare level 5 avalanche danger in several Alpine regions. Contrary to popular belief, a level 5 rating is rare and seldom used. Related: Record-Breaking Snow Totals in Switzerland as 89″ Falls in 2 Days […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 22, 2025 0 Comments
Truckee, CA, Resident Recovering From Life Changing Injuries Following Tahoe Avalanche Rylan Cordova, a Truckee, California, resident, general manager at Alibi Truckee, and a good friend of SnowBrains, is recovering from serious injuries after being caught in a skier-triggered avalanche on April 2 while skiing with friends in the Tahoe backcountry. The avalanche, which occurred on a northeast-facing slope near Peak 9269′ at about 8,500 feet, swept Cordova approximately 300 vertical […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 22, 2025 0 Comments
Man Killed by Avalanche at Val Thorens, France, Resort Entrance A 27-year-old British man has died after being swept away by an avalanche at the entrance of Val Thorens, France, following heavy snow that has closed resorts across the Alps. Val Thorens received over 40″ of snow in the last couple of days. The avalanche struck shortly after 10 a.m. on Thursday, as the man stood by the side of a […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Skier Injured in 1,100 Vertical Foot Avalanche After Leaving Breckenridge Ski Area, CO, Access Gate A skier was injured Saturday, April 12, after being swept over 1,100 vertical feet in a wet slab avalanche in the K Chute of the Sky Chutes, a well-known backcountry zone west of Breckenridge Ski Resort, Colorado. According to reports on the Colorado Avalanche Information Center website, an initial group of four skiers departed from the Peak 6 backcountry access gate […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 15, 2025 0 Comments
Separate Avalanches Kill 2 in Swiss Alps Amid Warming Temperatures Two skiers died in separate avalanches last week in Switzerland’s Valais Alps. The incidents occurred just days apart in popular backcountry zones, prompting rescue teams to emphasize the need for caution as spring arrives and temperatures rise, creating unstable snowpacks. Related: World Cup Star Ivica Kostelic Denies Being Buried in Austrian Avalanche Bourg-St-Pierre Avalanche On April 3, a 34-year-old Swiss […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 7, 2025 0 Comments
New Study from Swiss Researchers Takes Detailed Look at How Avalanche Risks are Projected to Evolve Across 21st Century A groundbreaking new study by Swiss researchers offers the most detailed look yet at how climate change could reshape avalanche risk across the Alps but also globally. Published in Natural Hazards, the paper, authored by scientists from the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF and ETH Zurich, uses high-resolution models to examine avalanche danger in painstaking local detail—down […] Avalanche AvyBrains | March 28, 2025 0 Comments
Avalanche near Sölden, Austria, Sweeps Away 3 Backcountry Skiers, Killing 2 in Crevasse Fall A backcountry skiing excursion in Austria’s Ötztal Alps near the famous Sölden ski resort turned deadly Monday morning, March 24, when an avalanche swept three members of a six-person group over rocky terrain, burying two of them in a crevasse. Both were killed, while the third survived with minor injuries. According to the Tyrolean police (Landespolizei Tirol), the group, led […] Avalanche AvyBrains | March 26, 2025 0 Comments
AvyBrains 
Avalanche
