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alps

Helicopter Crash Claims One Life in Remote Swiss Alpine Region

A helicopter crash in the high-altitude Fusshörner region of the Swiss Alps has left a 51-year-old Swiss man dead, Valais authorities confirmed Saturday, June 28. The helicopter, which was traversing the Oberaletsch Glacier at the time, came to a sudden halt on its side after an unexplained impact with the ground, according to Valais cantonal police. The aircraft, operated by […]

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Avatar photo Joseph Kaufmann | July 2, 2025
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Human Remains Found in Blatten, Switzerland, Following Massive Glacier Collapse Last Month

Blatten Aftermath following glacier slip

[UPDATED Friday, June 27, at 6:07 pm European Central Time] Human remains were discovered Friday in the debris field above the village of Blatten, more than three weeks after a devastating glacier collapse buried large parts of the valley in rock, ice and mud. According to a press release from the Valais Cantonal Police, the remains were recovered during a […]

Martin Kuprianowicz | June 27, 2025
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19 People and Dog Rescued After Being Trapped for Hours in Austrian Cable Car Damaged During Storm

Austria cable car rescue

19 people and a dog were rescued unharmed Monday evening after spending more than four hours trapped in a gondola suspended high above the ground during a summer storm in western Austria. The passengers were riding the Karrenseilbahn, a popular cable car in the state of Vorarlberg, when severe winds struck the area around 3:00 p.m. local time, pushing two […]

Martin Kuprianowicz | June 25, 2025
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French Alpinist Vivian Bruchez Becomes First to Climb and Ski All 82 of the Alps’ 4,000-Meter Peaks

4000 m peaks alps

French mountain guide and ski mountaineer Vivian Bruchez has become the first person to climb and ski all 82 summits over 4,000 meters (13,00 feet) in the Alps—a feat that has taken more than two decades, dozens of partners, and an unwavering commitment to both athleticism and alpine ethics. On June 20, Bruchez summited Pointe Marguerite (4,065 meters, 13,337 feet) […]

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Martin Kuprianowicz | June 24, 2025
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Ski Duo Breaks Speed Record on Mont Blanc, Skiing All 4 Faces and Climbing 24,000 Vertical Feet in Stunning 21 Hours

Record-setting alpinist Benjamin Védrines, 32, and partner Nicolas Jean recently conquered all four of Mont Blancs incredible faces in an impressive 21 hours. While that accomplishment might be incredible enough, the fact that these two mountaineers conquered the amazing feat in June makes it even more astonishing. Mont Blanc, sitting at an elevation of 15,777 feet, hold snow near its […]

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Avatar photo Joseph Kaufmann | June 19, 2025
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[VIDEO] I Climbed a Secret Ridge on Mont Blanc—And it was Hard

climbing mont blanc

“Today I’m talking you on the Aiguille Dorees, an amazing ridgeline in the eastern part of the Mont Blanc Range, in Switzerland. I’ve been fascinated by the aesthetics of this mountain ever since I saw a picture of it, and completing this traverse was an absolut dream of mine. Join me and my friend Marco Malcangi on this epic adventure.” […]

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CragBrains | May 8, 2025
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The Women Speed Riders of Chamonix

speed flying

Speed riding is essentially skiing but with wings. You clip into your skis, strap on a small glider, and take off. The glider or ‘wing,’ as it is referred, lifts, the skis carve, and gravity does the rest. It’s fast. It’s light. And when done right, it looks like flight sculpted in real time; the ability to glide only inches […]

Martin Kuprianowicz | April 28, 2025
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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 […]

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AvyBrains | April 22, 2025
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Avalanche Risk at Maximum as Season’s Biggest Snow Storm Shuts Down European Ski Areas

Over three feet of snow at Verbier, Switzerland. | Image: Verbier

A powerful late-season snowstorm has paralyzed parts of southern Switzerland and northern Italy, closing major transport routes and leaving several mountain communities isolated and without power as authorities warn of ongoing avalanche and flooding risks. Related: Europe Slammed by Spring Snow Surge: Over 6 Feet Possible in the Alps This Week Heavy precipitation overnight into Thursday, April 17, forced the […]

Avatar photo SnowBrains | April 17, 2025
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9 Ways Ski Resorting in the Alps is Different Than in North America

This article is an edited version of an original piece that appeared on agingskibum.com and was written by Jamie Schectman.  I have been incredibly lucky (and grateful) to have spent most of the past three ski seasons in the Alps. Maybe I’m still in the Honeymoon Phase, but not a day goes by when I don’t find myself inspired, taken […]

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Guest Author | March 14, 2025
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Courmayeur, Italy, Report: The Secret Zone Chutes

Report from March 7, 2025 On my last full day in Courmayeur, Italy, I decided on a secret zone I’d found the week before. It hosts north-facing terrain and holds recrystallized powder (I hoped). The trip out there wasn’t bad but the skin took me longer than anticipated. It takes about 1.5 hours to the top. I had a plethora […]

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Miles Clark | March 11, 2025
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La Thuile, Italy, Report: 37,500 Skiable Acres, 94-Miles of Trails, 4,728 Vertical Feet, 39 Ski Lifts, 2 Countries

Report from March 7, 2025 On Friday of last week, we skied La Thuile ski resort in La Thuile, Italy. La Thuile, Italy, is part of the Espace San Bernardo ski area, which connects to La Rosière ski area in France.  Related: Ski Resorts Where You Can Ski or Board in 2 Countries in 1 Day The first thing we […]

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Miles Clark | March 10, 2025
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Courmayeur, Italy, Report: Day #2 in the “Alaskan Velvet Snow” on Tête d l’Ane

Report from March 5, 2025 On Tuesday I had a conundrum.  My wife is in town and I need to ski with her and there is powder out in them thar hills… The compromise reached was that I’d run out and ski one run in the powder zone, then go backcountry skiing with her in the afternoon. I blasted up […]

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Miles Clark | March 10, 2025
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Courmayeur, Italy, Report: The Tête du Grand Mont Couloir

Report from March 4, 2025 There’s a chute the looms over the town of Courmayeur and the ski resort. We can see it from Martin’s house, from town, Dolonne, the ski resort, the Skyway, and just about everywhere else. We knew we had to ski it. Motivations and conditions appeared to line up on Monday and we set out. 4 […]

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Miles Clark | March 9, 2025
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Courmayeur, Italy, Report: Skiing “Alaskan Velvet” In Terrific Terrain A Week After The Storm

Report from March 3, 2025 Yesterday, Marco and his buddy Shanty took me to a new side-country area at Courmayeur Ski Resort in Italy. The zone holds nothing but couloirs. It hasn’t snowed in a week but this zone is holding delectable Alaskan Velvet (recrystallized snow). We got excited as we started up and felt the good snow. Our original […]

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Miles Clark | March 5, 2025
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Courmayeur, Italy, Report: Amazing New Terrain, Powder, Wind, & Old Friends

Report from February 26 & 27, 2025 Thursday and Friday at Courmayeur Ski Resort, Italy, were powder days. Thursday we ventured into a new sidecountry zone I hadn’t been to before. Twice! Friday we returned to that zone and went back to our old side-country zones only to find them getting blasted by 50mph winds. Thursday was surprisingly deep in […]

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Miles Clark | March 2, 2025
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Skyway Monte Bianco, Italy, Report: The Craziest Thing I’ve Ever Done = My First & Last Time Ever Speed Flying

Report from February 27, 2025 On Friday, we headed up the Skyway Monte Bianco in Courmayeur, Italy in the afternoon. My old California Ski Team buddy, Big Z, was in town. He’s a professional tandem speed flying and paragliding pilot. He talked me into a speed flight with him which is completely against my rules. No human flight. I’ve just […]

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Miles Clark | March 2, 2025
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Courmayeur, Italy, Report: Powder Skiing in Terrain that Dreams are Made of

Report from February 26, 2025 Yesterday was a powder day here in Italia. We started the day with 2 lower mountain runs on the spectacular Skyway Monte Bianco. Skyway was fun but the upper mountain was fogged-in and the lower mountain was deep dust-on-crust. From there we hopped the fence over to Courmayeur ski resort and found good powder. Then […]

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Miles Clark | February 27, 2025
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Skyway Monte Bianco, Italy, Report: Deep Dust on Crust On Spectacular Terrain At The End Of The Storm

Report from February 26, 2025 Yesterday morning we awoke to new snow in Courmayeur, Italy We elected to start on the legendary Skyway Monte Bianco hoping for a bit of sunshine. The mountains had other plans. The upper mountain was socked in so we snuck out of the mid-station for a lower mountain lap. We tried the Val Veny side […]

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Miles Clark | February 27, 2025
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Courmayeur, Italy, Report: Moody Mini-Powder Day Fun in Awesome Terrain

Report from February 25, 2025 We slept in and rested this morning and watched the storm hit the mountain. At times it was dumping chicken feathers and it was inspiring. We waited until 2 pm to give the mountain some time to fill in before venturing out. Martin and I rode 2 gondolas then slipped into the trees. It had […]

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Miles Clark | February 25, 2025
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