Himlung Himal Avalanche in Nepal Buries 16 Climbers at Base Camp *Updated October 6, 2026 Disaster has struck Nepal’s Himalayan region once again, as an avalanche has buried 16 people — mostly climbers and support staff — at the Himlung Himal base camp in Nepal. The group reached base camp early to help set up operations and ropes ahead of expedition teams. Following heavy precipitation across a broad swath of the […] Avalanche Sergei Poljak | October 3, 2026 0 Comments
Avalanche Beacons: Where’s The Best Place To Wear Them? An avalanche beacon is mandatory equipment when you head into the backcountry, sidecountry, or even into the high-gnar zones at some resorts. Practice using it and get good. Make sure your friends are proficient too. They’re the ones who are going to save your butt when you get buried. Turn it on at the car and off at the bar. […] Avalanche Mike Lavery | October 3, 2026 2 Comments
Patagonia Report: Moody 5-Star Dust-on-Crust & a Full-Depth Avalanche Report from September 25, 2026 We sat for 5 days, then got one OK, wet powder day. Then we sat for 3 more days and watched the rain completely destroy our zone. Some of the bigger avalanches I’ve seen in Patagonia… The rain saturated the snow to the tops of the peaks and the snowpack decided to peel off like […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | September 27, 2026 0 Comments
Patagonia Report: 5 Inches, 4 Wet Slides, & 1 Drone Crash Report from September 22, 2026 After 5 days stuck in the house due to bad weather and rain, we were finally let loose again yesterday. We drove around with no plan, looking for a smart move. Mellow Pow Day Stats: 2,996 vertical feet 3.84 miles round trip 2 hours and 7 minutes to the top of run #1 (1,599 vertical […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | September 22, 2026 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] NZ Avalanche Advisory Warns of Danger After Haszard Range Wind Slab Avalanche Catches 2 Skiers On August 24, a group of skiers triggered a small wind slab avalanche while ski touring up a ridge in the Haszard Range, in the Aoraki Region of New Zealand. Two members of the group were caught; one skier lost a ski and slid a few meters, while the other member was caught and slid roughly 15 meters (50 feet) […] Avalanche John Cunningham | September 1, 2026 0 Comments
How a Landslide Triggered a Biblical Flash Flood in Tibet and Nepal *Updated August 29, 2026 Scientists have identified the likely cause of the horrifying flash flood in Tibet and Nepal on August 26, 2026. After surveying seismic records and satellite images, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has pinpointed a collapse of bedrock and subsequent ice avalanche as the likely cause of the destruction. Initially, it was unclear what had happened. Officials […] Avalanche Sergei Poljak | August 27, 2026 0 Comments
Utah’s New Avalanche Center Director Pledges to Reduce Fatalities in the Backcountry Utah has seen more backcountry skiing, hiking, and camping than ever before in the state’s history. Luckily for citizens and visitors of the Beehive State, the Utah Avalanche Center has appointed a new executive director with big goals in mind, Nazz Kurth, who is a lifelong climber, backcountry skier. According to Kurth, the number of people in Utah’s backcountry has […] Avalanche Joseph Kaufmann | August 19, 2026 0 Comments
Cal/OSHA Finds Mammoth Mountain, CA, ‘Willfully’ Violated Safety Rules After Ski Patroller’s December 2025 Death Mammoth Mountain, California, is facing $126,000 in Cal/OSHA fines following an investigation into the December 2025 avalanche that killed ski patroller Cole Murphy. The investigation found three workplace safety violations, including one classified as a “willful” violation, as reported by SFGATE. Mammoth says it has corrected the violations and is appealing the citations. Murphy, a 30-year-old lifelong skier from Tacoma, […] Avalanche Brent Glogau | August 14, 2026 0 Comments
Flathead Region, MT, Marks 5 Years Without Avalanche Deaths Despite Volatile Winter Despite unstable snow conditions and a number of close calls, the 2025-26 winter marked the fifth consecutive year with zero avalanche fatalities in the Flathead region of northern Montana. The Flathead area, which covers 1.2 million acres of Northern Rocky mountain ranges, experienced winter weather this past season that would typically lead to hazardous backcountry conditions. Heavy early-season precipitation, which boosted […] Avalanche Kien Warren | July 24, 2026 0 Comments
Castle Peak Avalanche Responders Recognized The 21 agencies that responded to the Castle Peak Avalanche in California recently received certificates of recognition for their efforts on July 14. Presented by Nevada County Supervisors, certificates were provided to hundreds of personnel, including ski teams, snowmobile and SnoCat operators, aerial operations teams, and avalanche mitigation teams, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. Related: Official Report […] Avalanche Quinn Brophy | July 16, 2026 0 Comments
FAA Says Resorts Can Now Use Specialized Drones For Avalanche Control Avalanche control operations just got a little more tech-y. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently granted regulatory approval for Drone Amplified’s MONTIS system, specifically designed for avalanche control operations. The FAA’s decision gives ski resorts around the country a clear framework to implement and operate the MONTIS system, and it is a clear step forward for mountain safety. Related: […] Avalanche Quinn Brophy | July 14, 2026 0 Comments
Top 7 Most Deadly 8,000-Meter Peaks The top 14 tallest peaks in the world are commonly referred to as the 8,000ers since they are all over 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) in elevation. These mountains attract mountaineers and climbers searching for a dangerous challenge from all over the world. Many adventurers make it their life goal to climb one. Some try to climb as many as possible. […] Brains Aunika Skogen | June 4, 2026 8 Comments
Avalanche Gear Summer Storage: What Most Backcountry Skiers Get Wrong The skis are racked. The sleds are parked. For backcountry travelers wrapping up another season, avalanche gear summer storage deserves attention before summer takes hold: proper storage of avalanche safety equipment. A few minutes of off-season care can mean the difference between gear that performs when it counts and gear that fails; or voids a warranty. Why Avalanche Gear Summer […] Avalanche AvyBrains | May 23, 2026 0 Comments
Those Window-Rattling Booms on Powder Days? The Howitzers Behind Them Are Nearly Gone For almost as long as humans have been riding chairlifts in the big mountains of Western North America, avalanche artillery mitigation has been at the center of a steadily evolving program to understand, predict, and control snowpack hazards. Many a skier has woken up to the thunderous, window-rattling booms of artillery fire from a nearby highway or ski area and […] Avalanche Zach Armstrong | May 12, 2026 0 Comments
American Woman Mountaineer Killed in Avalanche During Descent of Mount Makalu in Himalaya Mountains An American climber has died following a high-altitude avalanche on Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak. Shelley Johannesen, 59, was killed on Sunday morning when a massive slide struck her team at approximately 7,000 meters as they were descending from the summit. According to reports from Explorer’s Web and the Tourism Times, the incident occurred just below Camp 3 on the […] Avalanche Martin Kuprianowicz | May 11, 2026 0 Comments
Snowmobiler Killed in Avalanche in BC’s Omineca Mountains After Being Buried Under 6 Feet of Snow Snowmobiler Killed in Avalanche Near Johanson Lake in British Columbia’s Omineca Mountains A snowmobiler was killed in an avalanche in the Omineca Mountains of northern British Columbia on Tuesday, after being buried under nearly two meters (79 inches) of snow near Johanson Lake, approximately 235 kilometers (146 miles) northwest of Mackenzie, according to Avalanche Canada. Two snowmobilers accidentally triggered a […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 18, 2026 0 Comments
Silver Mountain, ID, General Manager Writes Sincere, Openhearted Letter About In-Bounds Avalanche On March 13, 2026, Silver Mountain, Idaho was in the midst of an intense winter storm. A tree had fallen on part of the gondola, which brings skiers from the town of Kellogg, Idaho up to the ski area, delaying opening. After extensive avalanche mitigation work by the Silver Mountain Ski Patrol, two separate skier triggered in-bounds avalanches were observed, […] Avalanche Zach Armstrong | April 16, 2026 0 Comments
The RECCO Story: How A Tragic Accident Changed the Whole Snow Rescue Industry When I was a kid, I used to notice a small, almost unnoticeable tag hidden inside my ski jacket. It wasn’t just in mine — it showed up in my parents’ gear, in gloves, even in helmets and boots. The only thing I recognized was the name stamped on it: RECCO®. It took years before I understood what it actually […] Avalanche Micho | April 10, 2026 2 Comments
Greenland Capital Hit by Fatal Nuuk Avalanche Less Than 2 Weeks After Near-Miss A 17-year-old boy died Saturday after an avalanche struck a group of snowmobilers near Nuuk, Greenland, less than two weeks after a separate avalanche in the same area left two backcountry skiers buried up to 16 feet deep, local police are reporting. Related: Head On A Swivel – Snowmobile Avalanche Awareness What Happened in the Nuuk Avalanche Nuuk Police launched […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 6, 2026 0 Comments
Skier Killed After Sluff Knocked Them 2,000 Feet Down a Cliff in Rogers Pass, BC A skier died on Monday, March 30, after a small loose-snow avalanche knocked them off their feet and sent them tumbling 2,000 vertical feet (600 vertical meters) down the northeast face of Swiss Peak in Rogers Pass, Glacier National Park, British Columbia, Avalanche Canada confirmed this week. Related: Official Report on the Castle Peak, CA, Avalanche That Killed 9 Reveals […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 2, 2026 1 Comment
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