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
Avalanches in Val Thorens, France, Leave One Critically Injured and Force Ski Area Shutdown A series of avalanches swept through Val Thorens ski area in the French Alps today, leaving one person critically injured and forcing the closure of the entire ski area as authorities raised the avalanche risk to its highest level, PisteHors reports. Related: Avalanche Risk at Maximum as Season’s Biggest Snow Storm Shuts Down European Ski Areas Local officials reported that […] Avalanche SnowBrains | April 17, 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
World Cup Star Ivica Kostelic Denies Being Buried in Austrian Avalanche On Wednesday afternoon, an avalanche in Obertauern, Austria, triggered a major rescue operation and a wave of media speculation involving former Croatian ski racer Ivica Kostelic. The incident occurred at around 1 p.m. near the old Zehnerkar mountain station, where two freeriders accidentally set off an avalanche at an altitude of 2,150 meters. Related: 3 Men, Including Pro Snowboarder and […] Avalanche SnowBrains | April 4, 2025 0 Comments
Remembering the 1982 Alpine Meadows, CA, Avalanche That Killed Seven, Over 40 Years Later 43 years ago, on March 31, 1982, a deadly avalanche ripped through Alpine Meadows Ski Area in California. The catastrophic slide was unlike any the area had seen. It buried dozens, taking seven lives and causing millions of dollars worth of damages to the resort. March 27, 1982, the storm rolled in. Snow dumped for days as patrollers fought to […] Avalanche Aunika Skogen | March 31, 2025 2 Comments
Miracle Rescue: Ski Mountaineer Survives 400-Meter Fall Near Pizzo Penca, Switzerland A ski mountaineer miraculously survived a 400-meter (1,312-foot) fall near the summit of Pizzo Penca in the Swiss Alps, after the snow beneath him suddenly gave way near the peak at 3,037-meter (9,964-foot). Related: American Ski Mountaineer Rescued by Helicopter with 200-Foot Steel Cable from Steep Couloir Near Mont Blanc The dramatic accident occurred shortly before noon on Friday, March […] Avalanche Julia Schneemann | March 30, 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
[VIDEO] Speed Flyers Swoop Down and Rescue Fellow Injured Speed Flyer After Avalanche at Monte Bianco Skyway, Italy View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mike Lapin (@lapin.mike) A group of speed flyers became unlikely heroes last week week after spotting another speed flyer who became injured in an avalanche below the Monte Bianco Skyway near Courmayeur, Italy. The victim, an Australian man in his 30s, had broken his femur and was unable to move when […] Avalanche Martin Kuprianowicz | March 26, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Huge Inbounds Avalanche Rips at Mammoth Mountain, CA, Yesterday An inbounds avalanche occurred at Mammoth Mountain, California, on Tuesday, March 25. Ski patrollers were immediately on the scene and conducted a thorough search, and thankfully, found nobody had been buried or injured. Mammoth Mountain provided the following statement to SnowBrains: “At approximately 1:00 p.m. today a natural rockslide triggered an avalanche on the northeast side of the mountain under Starr […] Avalanche Gregg Frantz | March 26, 2025 0 Comments
3 Men, Including Pro Snowboarder and Guide, Killed by Avalanche in British Columbia While Waiting for Heli Pickup Three heli-skiers were killed on Monday afternoon when an avalanche struck near Kaslo, British Columbia. The incident occurred in the Clute Creek watershed east of Kootenay Lake. Stellar Heli Skiing, based in Kaslo, confirmed in a statement on its website that it was the operator involved. “At approximately 12:30 PST on March 24, 2025, a fatal avalanche occurred within the […] Avalanche AvyBrains | March 26, 2025 0 Comments
Mt. Baker Ski Area, WA, Closed for 2 Days Due to Very Dangerous Avalanche Conditions Mt. Baker Ski Area, Washington, announced yesterday a temporary closure for Monday and Tuesday, March 24-25, due to an incoming atmospheric river bringing significant rain and wind to the region, leading to very dangerous avalanche conditions. The closure follows exceptional snowfall throughout the month. Related: Top 9 Biggest Snowfalls in North America This Season The ski area plans to reopen on […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 24, 2025 0 Comments
Avalanche in Northern Sweden Sweeps Away Heli-Skiing Group, Killing 2 Brothers Two Italian skiers died Thursday afternoon, March 20, after an avalanche struck a heli-skiing group in the Abisko mountains, near the Norwegian border. The victims, identified as brothers Mattia Böer, 50, and Daniele Böer, 45, were buried under the snow, while a third brother, Simone Böer, survived by deploying his airbag. The Böer brothers were lifelong mountain enthusiasts, sharing a […] Avalanche AvyBrains | March 23, 2025 0 Comments
Young Boy Killed in Avalanche on Turnagain Pass, AK Updated March 25, 2025, 3:15 a.m. On March 23, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., the remains of a teenage snowmobiler were recovered from the field by the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group and transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office, according to the Alaska State Troopers. The Next of kin notifications have been completed. A young snowmobiler was killed in an avalanche […] Avalanche AvyBrains | March 23, 2025 0 Comments
Special Public Avalanche Warning in Effect for Central Rockies Through Monday A Special Public Avalanche Warning is in effect for the Central Rockies, including Banff, Yoho, Kootenay and Jasper National Parks, and Kananaskis Country, through Monday, March 24. Avalanche Canada issued the warning in collaboration with Parks Canada and provincial authorities. “A Special Public Avalanche Warning is in place for Banff, Yoho, Kootenay, and Jasper National Parks, and Kananaskis Country, through […] Avalanche AvyBrains | March 21, 2025 0 Comments
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