Bodies of Missing Father & Daughter Found at Base of Bionnassay Peak, Mont Blanc, France A father and daughter from the Vosges region of France have died after falling while climbing the Aiguille de Bionnassay in the Mont Blanc massif, France. Elia Poirot, 24, a medical student, and her father Pierre Poirot, 56, a long-time mathematics teacher and active local sports figure, were found dead on Saturday morning, July 19, at the foot of the […] Climbing Julia Schneemann | July 23, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Dramatic 12-Hour Rescue Ensues for 3 Mountaineers Stuck on Vertical Wall Near Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy After a grueling 12-hour overnight rescue at 2,800 meters (9,186 feet), three lucky climbers who were stranded on Italy’s Tofana di Rozes near Cortina d’Ampezzo were safely brought to shelter early Monday morning, July 21, in a complex multi-agency operation at high altitude. The trio—Milan residents aged 29, 40, and 56—had been attempting the famous Costantini–Apollonio route, which features a […] Climbing Julia Schneemann | July 22, 2025 1 Comment
High Noon Express Opens This Weekend, Enabling Top-to-Bottom Skiing at Tūroa Ski Area, New Zealand After a slow start to the season, things at Tūroa Ski Area, New Zealand, are finally looking up. The resort was slated to open for skiing on June 28 this season in time for the school holidays, but was only able to open the beginner area at Alpine Meadow. After some decent snowfalls in mid-July, the resort was able to […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 22, 2025 0 Comments
Austria Surges in Popularity with U.S. Visitors During 2024-25 Winter Season Austrian winter tourism has once again grown, with Austrian hotels recording 72.38 million overnight stays during the 2024-25 winter, up 1.8% from 71 million in 2023-24. According to government organization Statistics Austria, this is still below the 2018-19 pre-pandemic season, which was the best winter season on record with 73 million overnight stays. Summer overnight stays in 2023 and 2024 […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 21, 2025 0 Comments
Rift in French Alps Olympic Bid: Méribel Ski Resort Threatens to Withdraw Over Venue Dispute Tensions are mounting in the French Alps after the ski resort of Méribel announced plans to withdraw from the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, citing a dispute with the Games’ organizing committee over the relocation of key alpine skiing events. The alpine village, part of the municipality of Les Allues in Savoie, had initially been slated to host women’s alpine […] Olympics Julia Schneemann | July 20, 2025 0 Comments
First-Ever African Female Ski Racer Retires Ahead of 2026 Winter Olympics Due to Financial Difficulties Last week, Kenyan ski racer Sabrina Simader announced her retirement via social media. Born in Kenya and raised in Austria, the 27-year-old made history as the first African female alpine skier at the age of 16 at the Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer in 2016, and just a year later became the first African woman to compete on the Alpine […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 20, 2025 0 Comments
Thredbo, Australia, Conditions Report: Blue Bird Perfection Report from Friday July 18 It’s no secret: the Australian ski season is off to a fantastic start. With the entire mountain open at Thredbo, the choice is yours: carve down the long main runs for some vertical, or stick to the upper bowls serviced by t-bars. While Thredbo boasts the biggest vertical drop in the country, I tend to […] Conditions Report Julia Schneemann | July 20, 2025 0 Comments
Ill-Equipped Korean Hikers Rescued from Italian Via Ferrata After Spending Night Stranded Without Gear A pair of South Korean hikers were rescued at dawn Friday, July 18, after becoming stranded overnight on a high alpine route in the Italian Dolomites, without proper equipment and carrying heavy packs. The pair spent the night stuck on ledge of a via ferrata, a climbing route with fixed cables, ladders, and bridges that help hikers safely navigate steep […] Climbing Julia Schneemann | July 18, 2025 0 Comments
Body Found Near Plane Wreckage in Australia’s Snowy Mountains The body of a man has been located in wreckage in Australia’s Snowy Mountains, after a multi-day search for a plane that went missing earlier this week. The body is believed to be that of missing pilot, David Stephens. According to the NSW Police Force, the plane was reported missing on Tuesday, July 15, while traveling from Victoria to the New […] Julia Schneemann | July 18, 2025 1 Comment
Italian Extreme Sports Icon Dies in 200-Meter Fall in Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy Extreme sports icon Andreas Tonelli—a 48-year-old mountain biker and adventure sports guide from South Tyrol, Italy—has died after falling around 200 meters (656 feet) during a solo outing in Vallelunga, near Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy. Tonelli, who had amassed over 120,000 followers on social media through his high-altitude cycling and mountaineering content, was reported missing on Tuesday evening, July 15, when […] Biking Julia Schneemann | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
Norwegian Olympic Medalist Killed by Freak Lightning Strike Norwegian ski cross and alpine athlete and Olympic medalist Audun Grønvold has died days after being struck by lightning while on holiday in Hardangervidda National Park. According to a social media post shared by his wife, Kristin Tandberg Haugsjå, the 49-year-old was struck by lightning on Saturday, July 12, while holidaying at their mountain hut in the Norwegian Hardangervidda National […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
Perisher, Australia, Report: After the Storm is Before the Storm Report from Saturday & Sunday, July 12 & 13 After the recent storm dropped 30 to 40 centimeters (12 to 16 inches) of fresh snow across Australia’s alpine resorts, every snow-hungry city slicker seemed to be heading for the hills—if the traffic was anything to go by. Both Saturday and Sunday, Kosciuszko Road was closed from Alpine Way by around […] Conditions Report Julia Schneemann | July 13, 2025 0 Comments
Strokes of Luck Save Climber Trapped Headfirst in Glacier Crevasse at Zugspitze, Germany A mountaineer is alive today thanks to strokes of extraordinary luck: first a bystander happened to witness him fall headfirst into a glacier crevasse during a solo ascent of the Zugspitze, Germany, then rescue teams managed to locate and extract him in two narrow weather windows. The fall occurred Friday afternoon, July 4, on the Höllentalferner, a shrinking glacier traversed […] Climbing Julia Schneemann | July 13, 2025 0 Comments
Solo Hiker Found Dead in Italian Dolomites After Missing for 5 Days A 52-year-old German hiker reported missing on Saturday, July 12, in the rugged Pale di San Martino range of the Italian Dolomites was found dead on Sunday, July 13, bringing a tragic end to the search and rescue efforts that had spanned two provinces. The man, identified only as “Mike,” had last been seen early Wednesday morning, July 9, when […] Julia Schneemann | July 13, 2025 0 Comments
Czech Ski Association Launches Fundraiser for Injured Ski Racer Tereza Nová The Czech Ski Association has launched a fundraiser to support Czech ski racer Tereza Nová. Nová suffered a catastrophic crash on January 24, 2025, during race training on the Kandahar slope in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The 27-year-old sustained life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to the BG Unfallklinik in Murnau, Germany, where she spent nearly a month after being put in an […] Competition Julia Schneemann | July 12, 2025 0 Comments
Austrian Ski Resort Faces Permanent Closure as Demolition of Ski Lifts Looms The ski lifts of Austrian ski resort Gaissau-Hintersee may soon disappear from the alpine landscape for good. On Friday, July 11, the resort’s owners officially requested a demolition notice for the lift infrastructure from the State of Salzburg, marking a sobering end to efforts to revive the small, low-altitude ski area just south of Salzburg. The request came after a […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 12, 2025 2 Comments
Rossignol to Close Historic Dynastar Factory at Foot of Mont-Blanc, France, Ending Over 60 Years of Ski Manufacturing History After much protest and lengthy negotiations with its employees, French ski company Rossignol announced at the end of June that it will be closing the Dynastar ski factory in Sallanches, France, on July 31, 2025. The decision will result in the loss of 57 jobs and had resulted in months of negotiations between the Dynastar employees and the parent company […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 11, 2025 2 Comments
Italian Ski Pass Consortium Dolomiti Superski Under Investigation for Price Fixing Dolomiti Superski, one of the world’s largest and most iconic ski pass consortiums, is under investigation by Italy’s Antitrust Authority over allegations of price fixing and restrictions on competition, raising concerns about the governance of Europe’s sprawling ski industry. According to Italian newspaper Corriere delle Alpi, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) confirmed that it has launched formal […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 9, 2025 0 Comments
World Cup Ski Racer Returns to Site of His Devastating Crash at Copper Mountain, CO Nearly three years after a training crash at Copper Mountain, Coloardo, left him with catastrophic injuries, Austrian ski racer Max Franz has returned to the site that changed his life. Once a rising star on the World Cup downhill circuit, Franz is now making a bid to rejoin elite ski racing, revisiting Copper this summer as part of a documentary […] Crash Julia Schneemann | July 8, 2025 0 Comments
Chihuahua Saves Owner’s Life by Guarding Crevasse at Saas-Fee, Switzerland A routine alpine hike on the Fee Glacier nearly ended in tragedy last Friday, July 4, when a hiker, accompanied by his Chihuahua, plunged into an 8‑metre (26-foot) crevasse on the icy plateau above Saas-Fee, Switzerland. The dog’s frantic behavior ultimately guided rescuers to the injured man, leading to a dramatic rescue by Air Zermatt. The Fee Glacier, a 6‑kilometer-long (4-mile-long) […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 7, 2025 1 Comment