Two Injured in Avalanche at Sunshine Village Resort Two skiers have been injured in an avalanche at Sunshine Village resort. The avalanche occurred around 2pm on Monday and buried both skiers. At the time of the avalanche there were other skiers nearby who were able to notify the avalanche Rescue personnel of Sunshine Village. Both skiers were located […] Avalanche SnowBrains | April 1, 2014 0 Comments
Weekend Avalanche Roundup | 3 Dead, 3 Close Calls A snowmobiler was buried following a slide on Paulina Peak, the highest peak of the Newberry Volcano near Bend, Oregon. Kyle Thomas was out with two friends when he was caught in the avalanche around 3:30. His two companions immediately started searching for him in the debris pile. The avalanche occurred on the North […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 31, 2014 0 Comments
Skier Dies After Avalanche in Valais Region, Switzerland A 40-year old man has died in the Valais canton of Switzerland. The man was caught in a small avalanche, while traveling near the town of Binn, in the Goms Valley, en route to the Mittlenberg hut with his girlfriend. The man was able to free himself, but the two realized they couldn’t make it to the hut because night had fallen and fog rolled in. The two spent the night in an igloo […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 27, 2014 0 Comments
One Dead in Selkirk Heli-Skiing Avalanche One Killed in Selkirk Area Avalanche| A 45 year old German man visiting the region to ski has been killed in an avalanche on March 24th. The avalanche occurred around 11:30 am. The skier was in a party of five heli-skiing with Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH). The incident occurred while the four guests and guide were waiting for heli pickup on the valley floor. The slide was triggered near 2,550 meters and cut a path 250 meters wide, leveling mature timber as it plowed to the safe pickup spot […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 25, 2014 1 Comment
Weekend in Avalanche News | 3/24/14 After a quiet week of Avalanche activity in the United States, the weekend crowds have found places to trigger slides. While only one person was killed in the United States other areas reported avalanche fatalities. One man is dead following an avalanche on Granite Mountain near Snoqualmie Pass, Washington on Saturday. Two men were hiking in the Granite Mountain area on Saturday when the avalanche occurred. One man was hit by the slide but able to walk out and contacted […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 24, 2014 0 Comments
SEABA Guide from Bend, Oregon Dies from Avalanche Injuries Tragically Aaron Kirtis, the Bend, Oregon native, has passed away. Kirtis was working as a guide for SEABA when he was caught and buried […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 20, 2014 1 Comment
Ode to Avalanche: An Exposition of the Power of Snow Ode to Avalanche brings you an intimate look at the awesome yet destructive nature of avalanches. Filmed primarily in the San Juan mountains, home to some of the most unstable snow in North America, this short piece serves as a stark reminder that we are not the ones in control while in the mountains. Served up to a classic […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 18, 2014 1 Comment
Season in Avalanche Statistics and Trends This season has been strange; the weather patterns (can they really be called patterns?) kept even the best weather shamans guessing. Long periods of clear dry weather throughout the West were punctuated by occasional storms burying weak layers within the snowpack. These layers have been especially treacherous […] Avalanche Chaz Diamond | March 18, 2014 2 Comments
Terrible Weekend for Avalanche Deaths and Injuries Aaron Karitis, of Bend, Oregon, was seriously injured in an avalanche on Saturday. Karitis, a guide for SouthEast Alaska Backcountry Adventures, was leading clients when the incident occurred. After expressing stability concern in the drop zone the group moved further along a ridge line. Karitis, the only one caught in the slide, was carried over […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 16, 2014 3 Comments
Snowmowbiler Killed in Kootenay, B.C. Avalanche On Tuesday March 11, a snowmobiler was killed while riding in the Gray Creek Pass area of the Kootenays. Neither snowmobilers were equipped with any avalanche gear, making partner rescue a shot in the dark.The other party member, the victim’s 53 year old father in law was able to escape the slide. The man called Search and Rescue around 2:30pm. Both Nelson and Kimberly Search and […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 13, 2014 0 Comments
Crystal Mountain Avalanche Videos | Heli Footage of Debris and Patroller Video During Control Work Following the news that a chairlift had been destroyed by an avalanche in Washington state more pictures and footage have begun to emerge. The clear weather in the days following the avalanche has helped showcase the destructive power of this slide. The chair was a Washington favorite and Crystal Mountain has been flooded with questions about buying a chair from the downed chairlift. Crystal has received so many requests that they have issued a special statement regarding the chairs […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 12, 2014 4 Comments
TGR Producer Caught & Injured in Avalanche @ Jackson Hole on Sunday: Greg Epstein, the TGR supervising producer, was caught in an avalanche on Sunday afternoon just outside of Jackson Hole. The slide occurred approximately 2pm and carried Epstein nearly 1000 vertical feet. Epstein was the only member of the three-person party to be caught in the slide, and the other two members were able to come to his aid. Epstein was not buried by the slide, and it has been reported that he was able to deploy his avalanche air bag, which would help him remain on top of the avalanche debris. Once the party reached Epstein emergency response was notified. Jackson Hole […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 12, 2014 2 Comments
2 Killed in 2 Separate Montana Avalanches Following recent snowfall across the Western U.S. there has been high avalanche activity throughout the Rockies. In the past two days, two people were killed in unrelated incidents near Missoula and Cooke City, Montana. On Monday March 10, Peter Maxwell of Missoula was caught and buried in a slide in the Altoona Lakes area outside of Philipsburg, MT. […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 12, 2014 1 Comment
Washington Avalanche Trends – What’s The Deal? Washington ski areas have been captivating national news with videos and pictures of huge slides, making things feel a bit strange in Washington. No doubt this season has been unusual for the West Coast of the U.S., but Washington avalanches taking out chairlifts? Are we in Las Lenas now?! But, we are looking forward to a brand new High Campbell lift at crystal, because it was planned to be replaced in the next 5 years anyways. Washington state currently holds the record for seasonal snowfall so it is no secret that there is plenty of snow. With a maritime snowpack […] Avalanche Chaz Diamond | March 12, 2014 1 Comment
Avalanche @ Crystal Mountain, WA Destroys #1 Chairlift in PNW Yesterday A large, explosive triggered avalanche destroyed the High Campbell Chairlift at Crystal Mountain ski resort yesterday. Specifically, the bottom terminal and towers of the chairlift were destroyed. Crystal published a video of an enormous, tree downing avalanche last week and this latest chair destroying avalanche likely wasn’t any less powerful. We have previously ranked the High Campbell lift as the number 1 of the chairlift in the Pacific Northwest. It’s a huge bummer that it’s been destroyed but we’re excited that they’l be able to replace […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 11, 2014 1 Comment
Avalanche Danger Cancels Freeride World Tour’s Final Stop @ Revelstoke, B.C. It’s been a rough year for the Freeride World Tour (FWT). The Revelstoke, B.C. stop was postponed 3 months in December due to high avy danger and low snow. The Fieberbrunn, Austria stop was moved last minute to Kappl, Austria due to extreme avalanche danger. The Kirkwood, CA stop was moved to Snowbird, Utah due to lack of snow. […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 11, 2014 0 Comments
LARGE Crystal Mountain, WA Avalanche Chops Down Trees | Video: After Stevens Pass’ monster avalanche footage last week, their neighbors at Crystal Mountain decided it was time to step it up. This video is of an avalanche triggered by ski patrol explosives at Crystal Mountain ski resort in Washington. The avy comes down hard and heavy and takes out some big timber on its way down. Washington had its 2nd snowiest February on record in spots this year. […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 10, 2014 1 Comment
Wolf Creek, CO Ski Patroller Dies in Avalanche on Tuesday At approximately 1:30 PM on the 4th of March 2014, a member of the Wolf Creek Ski Patrol perished in an avalanche while conducting research outside of the ski area boundary in Conejos County, Colorado. He was immediately extricated by his partner and a second team of two patrollers working in the same area. Resuscitative efforts were maintained as he was flown to Mercy Regional Medical Center. He was pronounced deceased at approximately 4:45 PM by attending physicians.We extend our sincere condolences to family and friends. – Colorado Avalanche Information Center […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 6, 2014 0 Comments
5 Caught in Colorado Avalanche Yesterday | 1 Still Missing Five snowmobilers were trapped in an avalanche at 10,500 feet in southwestern Colorado yesterday. Four of the people caught were able to free themselves and are all in good condition. One snowmobiler is still trapped under the snow. It is unclear at this moment if any of these snowmobilers had avalanche equipment. The avalanche was reportedly 150 yards wide and ended in a funnel that left snow up to 30 feet deep. These snowmobilers were reportedly riding in the Sharkstooth area of the La Plata Mountains of Colorado when they avalanche struck. They’d ridden out from Mancos, CO and had ridden […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 6, 2014 1 Comment
8-Foot-Deep Avalanche @ Snowbird Postpones Freeride World Tour The Freeride World Tour (FWT) can’t catch a break this year. The Revelstoke, B.C. stop was postponed 3 months in December due to high avy danger and low snow. The Fieberbrunn, Austria stop was moved last minute to Kappl, Austria due to extreme avalanche danger. The Kirkwood, CA stop was moved to Snowbird, Utah due to lack of snow. Now, the Snowbird stop has been postponed due to […] Avalanche SnowBrains | March 5, 2014 2 Comments
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