Val d'Anniviers, above St Luc, avalanche that took the life of a 45-year-old Dutch skier 17 April
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A 45-year-old Dutch man who lives in The Netherlands died in an avalanche Tuesday 17 April in canton Valais.
He and another person were ski touring in the Val d’Anniviers when they were caught by the avalanche at 12:40. The other skier managed to get free and call for help but the Dutch man was buried under snow and died from his injuries.
The two had left St Luc for the Vijivi Pass. The avalanche was set off as they came back down, at about 2,900 metres.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The victims caught by an avalanche in northern Norway were from the Geneva area, two of them doctors and two of them bankers at the Geneva offices of Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch. All were very experienced ski tourers, and their two French guides were very experienced, but Swiss media are reporting that the accident has provoked heated debate in Norway. The group that was hit was the more experienced of the 12 who went out together. One of the doctors is described by RTS as a “very seasoned mountaineer” but his wife, with less experience, was not hit by the snow slide.
The avalanche risk was 3 out of 5, with warmer weather starting, and the slope where the avalanche occurred was reportedly 42 degrees, with locals quoted as saying they would never go there in this weather and that under such conditions any slope steeper than 30 degrees is too dangerous.
The four clients who died were all Swiss, and the guide who died was with the mobile emergency and reanimation unit (SMUR) in Annecy. The other guide, who was not caught by the avalanche, is a senior member of France’s high mountain rescue unit in Annecy, the Peloton de gendarmerie de haute montagne (PGHM), according to RTS, public broadcasting.
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss news agency ats reports that four Swiss skiers and one French one were killed, and one Swiss skier was injured, in an avalanche in the north of Norway that hit their group of 12 ski tourers. The accident occurred on Sorbmegaisa mountain in Kaafjord, near Tromsoe, early Monday afternoon 19 March, according to ats. The skiers were at about 1,000m.
A large rescue operation with search dogs and helicopters included F-16 fighter jets that helped observe the avalanche area.
AFP reports that all 12 members of the group were wearing radio transmitters, which helped with the search. The injured man was under the avalanche for 2 hours but his injuries are described as “moderate” by Norwegian authorities, and he is in stable condition.
Authorities in Norway are now working on identifying the victims.
Furgg to Furi run, Zermatt, avalanche 4 March 2012: no victims
SION, SWITZERLAND – Two avalanches early Sunday afternoon hit groomed slopes, a relatively unusual occurrence. In canton Bern, at Engstlenalp near Innertkirchen, two adults and two children were caught, but all managed to free themselves. Eight dogs, four helicopters and a search team of 60 checked the slope, working until evening, but found no other people caught by the avalanche.
Zermatt also had an avalanche on a groomed slope, at 14:20 Sunday 4 March: it ended its slide on an open piste between Furgg and Furi, but canton Valais police say no one was trapped by it.
The reason for the avalanche, in the Schafberg sector, hasn’t yet been determined.
Air Zermatt, the ski area’s safety team and a search group immediately began to look for people trapped by the avalanche, 50 metres wide and 2 metres deep.
Weather was exceptionally warm in Valais Saturday and Sunday, with Zermatt village registering 7C officially Sunday afternoon while in Sion and Sierre it reached 18C.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The search for victims of an avalanche at Les Diablerets in canton Vaud has been called off, after 150 rescue workers combed the area and ran tests for evidence of victims Wednesday evening 29 February that showed no evidence anyone was caught by it. A team is back on the slopes Thursday morning to recover gear and check further, but canton Vaud police say there have been no reports of missing persons since their alert yesterday.
Update 2, 22:05 LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The search was halted at 20:30 Wednesday night 29 February for victims of an avalanche at Les Diablerets in canton Vaud, with no electronic or other evidence found that anyone had been caught by it. A group of 50 rescue workers, dogs, police, Diablerets ski school instructors, local volunteers and Rega helicopters spent the afternoon and evening searching for victims of the avalanche, triggered at 14:00 Wednesday afternoon, 29 February. It measured 200m long and 60m wide.
Police say it began at la Tête de Meilleret and moved slowly down towards the Col de la Croix. They labelled it a slow-moving mass, an avalanche de fond, where the snow mass separates right down to the level of the soil.
One witness told police two people may have been caught skiing off piste but another witness contacted police to say he was near the Col de la Croix and he was able to view the avalanche from its start, but did not see any skiers in the area.
Police are asking anyone who was skiing in the area Wednesday afternoon, who might have information that would help them determine if anyone is missing, to contact police at +41 21 644 4444, or to contact the nearest police station.
Avalanche danger growing, says federal office
Dutch prince “stable” but not out of danger after Austrian avalanche
Very steep slope above Ardon, canton Valais
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The weekend promises every skier’s dream: fresh powder on top of an excellent base throughout the Alps and Jura, warmer weather and mostly sunny skies.
There is a down side: the risk of avalanches is growing, thanks to the combination of warmer weather and significant layers of fresh snow.
Prince Johan Friso, 43, the second son of Dutch Queen Beatrix, is in stable condition in an Innsbruck hospital after being buried under an avalanche for 15 minutes.
He was skiing off-piste with three other people when the avalanche, reportedly 30 metres wide and 40m long, occurred.
He was wearing an avalanche beeper, which allowed rescuers to reach him quickly and he was resuscitated at the scene, but doctors say he is not yet out of danger.
Several members of the Dutch royal family were on holiday together, including the queen, reports the BBC.
Weather forecast, snow conditions
Frosted Jura (photo, Shirley Curran)
Saturday: sunshine and highs of 6-8C, with the Valais Alps the warmest area until you get to Ticino, says MeteoSwiss. Rain or snow in some areas on Sunday, but less likely in Valais. Get in your day on the slopes Saturday.
More snow appeared during the week than was forecast, so there’s a good fresh layer in most resorts. Alpine areas north of the Rhone had 10-25cm Wednesday and early Thursday, with peaks in the centre and some parts of the Vaud Alps getting 25-50cm.
The avalanche risk level is 3 for Saturday, but note that WSL, the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, is providing a longer than usual bulletin for this week. Three skiers were caught by an avalanche in Obwald Friday.
The WSL notes that “Snowdrift accumulations can be easily triggered in some places and should be circumvented. Experience in assessing avalanche hazards is essential. In all regions of this danger level, particularly on steep, south facing slopes, the avalanche hazards are subject to a daytime cycle. The likelihood of avalanches being triggered is somewhat lesser in early morning, but subsequently escalates in line with the daytime warming cycle.”
More snow expected Sunday in some areas means the avalanche situation will “remain tense” according to WSL. Avalanche-prone areas are above 2,000 metres in western parts of the Alps, but they are found “on steep slopes in all aspects above approximately 1,600m; in the western part of the northern flank of the Alps the danger zones are above approximately 1800 m.
Alpine resort highlights
Crans-Montana Next weekend is the FIS Men’s World Cup downhill races, with super G and giant slalom, so plan ahead to watch them tear down the National run.
Gstaad Curling tournament: the Curling Schweizer Meisterschaften from 17-25 February, your golden opportunity to see top Swiss teams. Also consider next weekend’s snow games, with a lot of family activities.
Verbier Take along a costume – it’s carnival time! You’ll find this true throughout the Alps, starting Friday 17 February, but Verbier is taking it seriously with a procession followed by a ball Saturday night.
Jura resorts
by Shirley Curran
Conditions are superb in the resorts in the Jura mountains with this week’s falls of snow added to what was already an exceptional cover and the cold weather holding up. However, it is no longer bitterly cold up there, just very pleasant with all the lifts running and queuing very rare. Of course, you have a choice of Jouvencelles/La Dôle (the Franco-Suisse resort), Les Rousses, St Cergue and all the Monts-Jura resorts. Even charming little Menthières is boasting exceptional snow conditions.
And don’t forget about ice-skating!
For those who want something beside skiing, or who are staying on the plain, here’s a little help if you want to talk intelligently about ice-skating, from EPFL in Lausanne: Ice skates glide across the ice because … check out the quiz and its informative answer page.
La Loge (photo, Shirley Curran)
The temptation to ski off-piste is great when the powder is fresh, but skiers, hikers and mountain-lovers should know how to use avalanche victim rescue equipments. Leysin, in canton Vaud, has a popular Avalanche Training Center at the top of the Aï chairlift. Eight markers that are hidden in the snow play avalanche victims and have to be located with the help of the appropriate search and rescue equipment. The Center is open to everyone and is free of charge. It offers a free course for children and young people on the dangers avalanches present.
Click on images to view larger: Valais avalanche, Lake Geneva ice skirts being formed
Bern man dies in Valais avalanche
Aminona, near Crans-Montana, Saturday morning: no wind, very thin stratus veiling blue skies
Update 11 February 14:10 GENEVA / SION, SWITZERLAND – There is good news for skiers: the strong winds that were forecast have died down and slopes are open everywhere, with blue skies the rule.
Verbier and Crans-Montana both are showing zero wind, slopes open and sun despite a veil of early stratus clouds.
The south side of the Alps, notably around Zermatt, has less stratus and the sunny slopes are virtually all open.
Time for skis, snowboards and sleds!
Avalanche risk moderate, but one man dead following Valais snow pack slide
A 48-year-old Bern man died at noon Saturday, 23 hours after being caught by an avalanche in canton Valais.
Three power station employees, one of them a mountain guide, were checking snow conditions at Obergesteln and as they headed back, crossing a slope at 13:00 at Sidelhorn, the avalanche struck. Two of the men were caught by sliding plates of snow, 200 metres long and 100 metres wide. One was able to free himself and he and the man who was not hit were able to quickly free their colleague. A rescue team arrived rapidly and he was flown to hospital in Sion, but he died from his injuries Saturday.
Avalanche situation: the risk level is 2-3/5 throughout the Alps, relatively low.
Icy roads raise accident risk
A 52-year-old man is in critical condition, with fears for his life, at the Chuv university hospitals in Lausanne after being hit by a car in Villars-sur-Ollon Friday morning at 09:00. A driver heading down towards the plain did not see the man, who was using a pedestrian crossing, until too late, and skidded into the victim, on the cantonal road at Chesières.
On the plain, around Lake Geneva, the wind will continue to blow, with the icy bise wind gusting in some areas, until Sunday, says MeteoSwiss.
Ice skirts on jetties continue to form thanks to strong winds on Lake Geneva, Friday
The amazing natural ice sculptures fringing Lake Geneva are generally the result of strong winds blowing lake water onto boats, buoys, jetties, boardwalks and plants. The blend of sunshine and glacial temperatures causes a continual melt-freeze action, smoothing them down until the next blast of wind brings a new layer of lake water from Europe’s deepest lake.
Lake Geneva put on one of its wonderful colour shows Friday, with the water ranging from brown to green to deep blue and violet, thanks to the wind whipping it up for several hours.
Lake Geneva blowing onto jetty in St Prex (16:24:39)
Lake Geneva blowing onto jetty in St Prex (16:24:40)
Lake Geneva blowing onto jetty in St Prex (16:24:40)
Lake Geneva blowing onto jetty in St Prex (16:24:41)
Avalanche in Obergesteln, canton Valais, Friday
Avalanche at Sidelhorn, Obergesteln, 200 metres wide and 100 metres long (photo, Valais police)
Sidelhorn avalanche (photo, Valais police)
Sidelhorn avalanche (photo, Valais police)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A 17-year-old Valais youth was caught by an avalanche Sunday 5 February while skiiing off-piste with his 47-year-old father near Anzères in canton Valais.
The two, who were ski touring, had just left a groomed slope for Pointe d’Hérémence. At 2,750 metres, between La Motte and Chamossaire, the avalanche was triggered as the first skier, the son, headed down. He stayed on top of the avalanche, which was 250 metres long and 40 metres wide. His father immediately called for help and the youth, who suffered minor injuries to his knees, was flown to the hospital in Sion.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Police in the Swiss cantons around the Lake Geneva region have been kept busy over the holidays with road and mountain accidents, bank and post office robberies, and in one happy instance finding suspects and two stolen locomotives from the train park at Le Bouveret in canton Vaud.
Chavannes-de-Bogis, Grosse-Pierre / Morges post offices, hit by armed robbers
Two men held up the post office in Chavannes-de-Bogis Tuesday morning 27 December at 07:00, grabbing the manager as he arrived for work. Despite his cries and efforts to fight them off the two men knocked him to the ground and were able to force him, at gunpoint, inside where he gave them the cash on hand.
The two fled in a blue metallic BMW that was stolen a few weeks ago. The car was found shortly afterwards, completely burned, on a forest path next to the Route des Coudres, in the direction of Bogis-Bossey. Police say a relay car was undoubtedly waiting to pick them up there.
A manhunt was set up immediately. Vaud police say they are looking for two men, both 180cm tall with athletic builds, who speak French without accents. One was wearing a lightweight black cagoule (balaklava), black clothes, glove and carrying a pistol.
The other man, European in appearance, had long hair, to his shoulders, which was very dark and straight. He was also dressed in black and was carrying a knife.
The post office manager was in a state of shock following the robbery, but otherwise unharmed.
The hold-up follows an attempted robbery early last Friday, 23 December, at the Grosse-Pierre post office in Morges. A 47-year-old woman arriving for work was surprised by two men, reportedly 170 cm tall, dressed in dark clothes, one carrying a knife. Her cries frightened them off and a witness called 117 to alert police.
Anyone with information about either crime is asked to phone Vaud police at 021 644 4444.
Verbier avalanche slightly injures 2 in family of 4
An avalanche caught a family of four skiing off piste near Verbier Monday 26 December at 12:15. The group managed to get out from under the avalanche, which was 10 metres wide and 150m long. The 16-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy both suffered minor injuries and were taken to the hospital in Sion to be checked.
The avalanche was triggered at Mont Gelé, at about 2,900 m.
Icy roads behind crashes
A 25-year-old woman from the Avenches region whose car skidded on the road near Salavaux and Avenches at 10:25 Tuesday morning is in serious condition after her car crossed the line and hit another car head on. The 41-year-old man driving the other car sustained lighter injuries and was hospitalized in Fribourg.
A crash caused by ice on the road was responsible for closing the Col de Pillon near Gsteig Tuesday morning, a main route to the Gstaad area from Lake Geneva.
Fires in Geneva and Morges send several to hospital
Thirteen people, including a year-old child, were injured, four of them seriously, after a fire broke out on the ground floor of a three-storey centre for asylum seekers in Geneva, Tattes, 1 chemin de Poussy in Vernier. Four are in serious condition, two from injuries sustained after they jumped out of second-floor windows and two others for burns and smoke inhalation, say Geneva police.
Sixty people were evacuated from the building.
The fire department received scores of calls Monday afternoon at 15:22 and the fire, which spread to the first floor, was brought under control by 16:15.
In Morges, canton Vaud, cigarettes thrown into the garbage are suspected of being the cause of a fire in a third-storey apartment in an 11-storey building at chemin de la Grosse-Pierre 9 early Friday morning 23 December. Two tenants ages 20 and 21 were hospitalized, as well as their neighbour, an 85-year-old woman, for smoke inhalation. The fire was brought under control by 03:15.
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GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A 50-year-old Italian man who lived in Italy died 13 December in hospital in Sion after sustaining critical injuries in an avalanche at Monte Moro near Saas Almagell Sunday 11 December at 14:30. Canton Valais police say that he was part of a group of six Italians who were ski touring in the area. They were on the east face of the Weisstor when the avalanche was triggered and he was buried under 130cm of snow. His fellow skiers were able to locate him and with the help of a rescue team to dig him out.
He was taken to the hospital in Visp and later transferred to Sion.
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LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A six-year-old Spanish child who was with a ski instructor on the slopes in Saas Fee was buried for 45 minutes by an avalanche in Saas Fee Wednesday afternoon, and died Thursday during the night at the Chuv University Hospitals in Lausanne, say canton Valais police.
The child’s teacher was only partially buried. She was found quickly and is in good condition.
The two were on a groomed slope at 2,900 metres, according to police.
Rescue workers were unable to use helicopters due to poor weather conditions. The avalanche, 100 metres wide and 300 metres long, appears to have occurred naturally, without anyone triggering it, and police are urging caution, with a poor snow base and winds creating hazardous conditions in some mountain areas.
Area where the fifth Swiss avalanche victim was found 2 months after accident, near St Bernard tunnel
SION, SWITZERLAND – The body has been found of a 42-year-old French woman, missing since a 26 March avalanche near the St Bernard tunnel caught a dozen ski tourers from Cluses, across the border in France. Four people died, seven were injured and one was missing in the avalanche that was 40 metres wide and 300 metres long, at 2,000m altitude.
It was one of the worst avalanches in terms of deaths and injuries in a winter that saw several in the Alps.
Police and partners have regularly checked the area since the avalanche. Her body was found under two metres of snow at the bottom of the couloir. She was not using an avalanche detector; it was found in her backpack.
Avalanche on Crans-Montana piste in Randogne, Col du Pochet, 8 April
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Police in Valais say no skiers were caught by the 200-metre long avalanche that ran down a groomed ski slope in the resort of Crans-Montana Friday mornng 8 April.
The avalanche, 30 metres wide, was apparently triggered by two skiers on the slope at 11:45, near the Col du Pochet.
No victims found after three hour search
A rescue operation to look for people trapped by the avalanche was immediately organized, but it was called off at 14:30 when it was determined that there were no victims.
The rescue team included two helicopters, a doctor, two mountain guides, 2 search dogs and their handlers, 15 patrollers from the ski lifts.
The avalanche occurred at about 2,500 metres and the depth of the avalanches was 80 cm.
Swiss avalanche bulletins warns wet avalanche risk “escalates swiftly”
The Swiss avalanche bulletin for 8 April and for the weekend notes that the risk of wet avalanches escalates swiftly during the day, with temperatures at 2,000 metres now 12C.
Warm sunny weather in increasing risk of wet avalanches in Valais: Crans-Montana, 8 April
Crans-Montana has posted a notice that given the skiing conditions only Violette will be open starting Monday 11 April, and only from 08:00-12:00 to maintain the snow as long as possible.
Click on images to view larger. Photos: Valais Police
Helicopter view of the "gigantic" avalanche near Ayer, canton Valalis, that left 3 dead 1 April.
Update 2 April Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A “gigantic” avalanche struck a group of nine people from Friedrichshafen, Germany Friday 1 April at 09:45 in canton Valais.
They were ski-touring in the region of the Montagne de Nava, near Ayer in the Val d’Anniviers.
Two people were killed and two others were sent to hospital. One of those hospitalized in Sion died later Friday from injuries.
Police Saturday morning said the victims have been identified. The three who died were men, ages 56, 48 and 35. Two of those who died were Austrian and one was German.
Two people were not hit by the avalanche, while three others who were swept by it managed to escape without injury.
The avalanche, at 2,500 metres altitude, was 500 metres wide and 500 metres long. The rescue team characterized it as “gigantic”, and it set off another avalanche on a facing slope that was 100 metres long and 100m wide.
Avalanche area, Ayers, Valais, Switzerland 1 April 2011
The avalanche occurred at 2,500 metres.
The group was traveling without a guide.
Photos: Valais Police
Search called off: risk too high for rescuers
Bourg St Pierre rescue teams search after avalanche that left 4 dead, 1 missing and 5 injured
Avalanche, Bourg-St-Pierre, 27 March 2011
Update 4, Monday 28 March Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) -The one person missing and presumed buried under a massive amount of snow in Saturday’s Valais avalanche is a 44-year-old French woman.
The last of four people to have died is a 49-year-old woman who was taken to the Chuv university hospitals in Lausanne, where she died from her injuries.
Police formally identified the two women Monday morning 28 March.
Valais police Saturday evening released details of the avalanche that caught 10 people Saturday near the St Bernard tunnel.
Sunday morning at 07:00 an Air Glacier helicopter mined the avalanche area in order to secure it and stop further avalanches.
Authorities have decided to suspend the search for the woman who is missing, saying the risk is too high for rescue workers. The avalanche cone’s snow depth is 20 metres: see photos here, released by Valais police Sunday evening (click on images to view larger).
Four people died and five others are in hospital, three of them in critical condition, in addition to the one person missing.
A group of 11 French people from nearby Cluses was caught by an avalanche shortly after noon Saturday 26 March at about 2,000 metres. They were on the western slopes of the Croix de Tsousse, not far from the Grand St Bernard tunnel.
Avalanche, Bourg-St-Pierre, 27 March 2011
The avalanche was 40 metres wide and 300 metres long.
Another person escaped the avalanche and alerted emergency teams.
Nine members of the group had snowshoes and two were using touring skis. All were equipped with avalanche detectors. They did not have a guide with them.
Police say they were not travelling the high route between Zermatt and Chamonix, as was earlier reported.
The rescue team included: 10 helicopters from Air Glaciers and Air Zermatt, 3 ambulances, 20 lifesaving guides, 8 avalanche dog drivers, 9 doctors, cantonal police.
No signals were picked up from the missing victim’s avalanche detector.
Three people whose bodies were recovered at the scene of the accident were two women, ages 58 and 64, and a man age 64.
The five who are injured are are 62-year-old woman and four men, ages 39, 45, 54 and 55.
Avalanche, Bourg-St-Pierre, 27 March 2011
Update 2 19:15 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Eleven people were caught by an avalanche early Saturday afternoon 26 March. Three people have died and one is missing. Five others who were injured were taken to hospitals in Martigny and Sion while one person, critically injured, was flown to the Chuv university hospitals in Lausanne, Valais police told Swiss public radio. One member of the group, who escaped, was able to give the alarm.
The group of French people was ski touring just above the Toules dam near the St Bernard tunnel that links Switzerland and Italy. The avalanche occurred near the Croix de Tsousse summit. The group appears to have been taking a popular high route between Chamonix and Zermatt.
The avalanche was close to the St Bernard tunnel.
Police say anyone who is affected by the accident can contact them at +0041 27 326 56 56.
TSR news video (can be viewed only in Switzerland)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A German who was ski-touring in Zermatt lost his life Sunday. Elsewhere in the Lake Geneva region there were a number of serious accidents, from fires to road crashes.
The 52-year-old German was part of a group of five people who had been at the mountain hut Brittania. They were heading towards the Monta Rose hut, having crossed the Adler pass, and were below the second hut when the man was caught by an avalanche at 20:40 His fellow skiers immediately raised the alert and police, a medical team and Air Zermatt were sent to the rescue. His body was found under 2.2 metres of snow.
Road accident closed lake road near Gland Sunday
The lake road (N1) was closed to traffic Sunday afternoon 20 March for two hours following an accident at 15:10 at the Messerin intersection between Prangins and Gland.
An 18-year-old driver was hit by a car driven by a 23-year-old woman who failed to yield to the first driver. Both were injured, with the first driver trapped in his car. They were taken to hospital via ambulance. Police report that their lives are not in danger.
Fire in the centre of Sierre, another in Vaud
Fire Saturday morning in Sierre, Valais
Forty firefighters from Cossonay in canton Vaud were called to Dizy after a fire started in the kitchen of a village house Saturday at 09:00. Two men in their 70s were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
A fire in the centre of Sierre, on the rue Glarey, caused serious damage and sent one person to hospital with burns to the hands. The fire started for reasons that have not been determined, at 07:00 Friday 19 March. Six residents of the building were evacuated.
Sion, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The skier who was killed 2 February in an avalanche in Crans-Montana has been formally identified by DNA tests, police in Valais announced Friday: a 40-year-old Canadian, resident in Valais.
Surefoot staff in Verbier have confirmed to GenevaLunch that the skier was Scott Mann, manager of the ski boot specialty shop in Verbier. He was a popular, well-known and very experienced off-piste skier who knew the area well and who had often skied around Mont Bonvin, where he lost his life Wednesday.
The avalanche was 50 metres wide and 700m long, on a very steep run.
One of his friends told GenevaLunch “Scott had skied that face countless times and it is known to be his mountain because of this. Because the conditions have been really poor in terms of snow this year, i think everyone was just waiting for a dump of the good stuff, and that is why he would have decided to go up there and take the risk because it was the first chance for a good off piste ski and this was his favourite face to ski in deep pow. . .He was a good skier and he knew what he was doing and the risk he would be taking to go up there.”
Surefoot also has a shop in Crans-Montana, which Mann had managed, and he was well known in the resort as well.
American died Friday on Zermatt slopes
The deadly avalanche, at 3,000 metres, was 50m wide and 700m long
Updae 2 March Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A man who was skiing in a remote and very steep off-piste area that is part of the Crans-Montana ski region lost his life Tuesday afternoon 1 March in an avalanche.
Police in canton Valais Tuesday evening confirmed his death, but would not provide details while contacting next of kin, but GenevaLunch has been contacted by friends of his, and he is reportedly an English-speaking Swiss resident.
The man was with a woman and the pair had gone to an area called Faverges, near the Petit Bonvin and the smaller resort of Aminona, when he was caught by the avalanche, which was 50 metres wide and 700 metres long, at 3,000 metres.
She was safe and was able to alert authorities: the man was pulled alive from the avalanche but died soon after being admitted to hospital in Sion.
Friday death on resort’s groomed slopes remains unexplained
A man died Friday 25 February in Crans-Montana, on groomed slopes, after taking a fall. He was not wearing a helmet, but it is unclear, Valais police told GenevaLunch Tuesday evening, if the fall was the result of a health problem or an accident. Police are seeking witnesses to the incident: +41 27 027 326 5656.
Zermatt death likely due to poor visibility
A 69-year-old American man died Friday 25 February while skiing with his wife in Zermatt. The two were in the Rothorn area and decided to head over to the Blauherd ski area because of poor weather conditions. En route, the woman lost sight of her husband, so she stopped to wait for him. When he didn’t join her she returned to Zermatt and immediately alerted lift operators, who contacted a patrol in the area. Their search for the man was unsuccessful and an emergency search team was called in.
The man’s body was found at 20:40, shortly after the Kumme/Blauherd split on the trail. He had left the trail, most likely due to poor visibility due to fog and snow, and he fell into the rocks.
Fiesch skier dies 2 metres off the piste
Woman dies after Champéry fall, man in Engadine killed by stalactite, ski trekker caught by avalanche
Champery is one of 12 ski resorts that are part of the Portes du Soleil ski region on the Swiss-French border in canton Valais
Update 21:00 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The number of accidents on mountains in the Swiss and French Alps is climbing, with icy slopes and warmer conditions possibly playing a role. This weekend in Switzerland four people lost their lives doing mountain sports: all were Swiss with alpine sports experience.
Monday 7 February a Bern man, 50, died in Fiesch, in the Goms/Conches valley in upper canton Valais, for reasons that are not clear, say police. He was skiing along the edge of the Obere Galvera run at 2,150m altitude when he fell and ended up off-piste, 2m from the edge of the run, where he died.
No further details are available except that he was wearing a helmet. Police have opened an investigation.
A 65-year-old woman from canton Vaud died in hospital after being flown to the Chuv, Vaud university hospitals, in Lausanne Sunday night 6 February following a fall while skiing in Champéry.
The accident occurred on the Pas de Chavanette in Champéry, a 1 km run with a vertical drop of 331 metres, well known for its moguls.
The run was closed to the public but the woman, her son and his female companion slipped under the nets to go down the run.
Pas de Chavanette's steep and rocky stretch: the slope is sometimes called an orange run - more difficult than normal black runs (photo 2007, Ale de Vries / Wikipedia)
The older woman fell and slid several dozen metres, say police. The younger woman also slipped and suffered a broken collarbone. She was hospitalized in Monthey.
Police have opened an investigation into the accident.
Man hit by falling ice after ice-wall climbing
An ice climber died in a freak accident in canton Graubuenden, in the Engadine region, when a stalactite fell on him. The man was sorting out his gear 30 metres below the giant icicle when it detached and pinned him to the ground.
The accident occurred Saturday afternoon, about 14:00, near Sils, at the entrance to Vallon du Fextal. The man had been climbing with two companions. He died from his injuries the following day.
Uri man dies; cell phones didn’t work in mountainous area
A 39-yar-old man died in canton Uri after he and a friend were caught by an avalanche as they came down from the Vorder Schloss near Attinghaussen. He was wearing an avalanche alert system that allowed his friend to find him and partially dig him out.
The friend was unable to call for help because their cell phones couldn’t pick up a signal in the mountainous area. He left his friend behind after failing to revive him, to call for help.
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Police in canton Glarus now say the person who died in an avalanche on the Grossen Kaerpf near Elm Sunday was a 47-year-old resident of Zurich.
Two other people were injured: a 24-year-old from St Gallen who is in serious condition with upper body fractures and a 36-year-old from Liechtenstein who sustained foot injuries and was hospitalized briefly.
The three were part of several groups who were ski touring with blue skies and fine weather, but rising temperatures that can raise the risk of avalanches.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Four skiers were killed and one person rescued when the group was struck by an avalanche in the Haute Savoie France resort of Val d’Isère. The massive avalanche, which was set off at 2,800 metres and continued down to 2,100 metres, occurred in a popular off-piste area, the Grand Vallon. Local police noted that avalanches are always a risk this time of year, but the estimated risk was 3 on the scale of 5.
The group of seven set off the avalanche when they went through the area, according to local mountain rescue authorities. They wwere led by a ski guide who, with one other person, escaped the avalanche and alerted rescuers. The four who died were: two French people, one British person and one Swede. A fifth person was caught by the avalanche but was pulled out, according to Le Dauphine regional newspaper.
The members of the group were all equipped with avalanche detectors.
A Swedish skier died a year ago, 18 January 2010, in the same area, when an avalanche was set off.
Second student in Bern hospital with head injuries after hiking group caught near Kandersteg
Oeschinensee (photo, Roland Zumbuehl, Picswiss)
Update 18:23 Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Henry Lo, who would have graduated from university in 2011, was killed when his group of nine university students hiking near Kandersteg in the Swiss Alps was caught by an avalanche of snow, ice and rocks Sunday 6 June. The rock and snow slide was set off by a skier above them, who was also caught, but who managed to save himself and call for help. Another student, Amy Nolan, was taken to hospital in Bern where she had surgery for head injuries.
The two were part of a group of two Oxford University students and seven from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachussetts, who are spending a year studying at Exeter College in Oxford.
The skier who triggered the avalanche did not see the group hiking below him until after the accident and he immediately alerted authorities. Police questioned and released him but they are investigating the accident, a Bern cantonal police spokesperson told GenevaLunch.
The group was near the Frundenhuute hut, heading for the Oeschinen lake above Kandersteg when it was caught at about 2,200 metres altitude, the police spokesperson said. Lo’s body was quickly found and Nolan was airlifted to Bern. The others in the group were taken by helicopter to the nearby Oeschinen Hotel at a little over 1,500 metres, where they stayed overnight before leaving Switzerland to return to the UK.
Link to Williams College, president’s letter about the accident
Chamonix, France (GenevaLunch) - The body has been found of a Swiss climber who has been missing since a massive avalanche caught him and seven others in 2008 on Mont Blanc de Tacul in the French Alps. Four Germans, three Swiss and an Australian were swept away by the avalanche that struck at 03:00 as they were climbing the much-frequented route. Forty-seven climbers in all were heading up Mt Blanc’s north face when a serac gave way and in unusual near silence slid down, causing a slab avalanche. Fifteen of the group were caught by it, including the eight who disappeared.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A woman from Versonnex, Pays de Gex in France, age 69, died Monday 19 April while climbing the Salève near Geneva, and her 71-year-old mountain-climbing companion is hospitalized with fractures, the Tribune de Geneve reports. The two experienced climbers were roped together, but for reasons that are not yet clear the woman fell 50 metres.
A 34-year-old British woman who lives in France was killed Sunday near Zermatt when she was caught by an avalanche. She was part of a group of four people who were ski touring with a guide when the avalanche struck.
An avalanche on Boulder mountain near Revelstoke, British Colombia in Canada has killed three people and injured 17 but several others are missing and a search is underway, say the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The avalanche occurred during the Big Iron Shootout snowmobile contest, an annual event that has sparked controversy and raised tensions with local residents in the four years it has been running, partly because of safety concerns.
Links to other sites: CBC, CNN, RCMP, Vancouver Sun
The death toll has now risen to 160 persons killed by a series of avalanches that swept over a busy road in the north of Afghanistan Monday. Officials say they have now dug 160 bodies out of the snow. Nearly 90 people are reported to be injured, and rescuers have freed more than 2,600 people stranded when the road was blocked by the heavy snow. Rescue operations continue along the Salang Pass, with military helicopters dropping food packages to people who are still unable to get out.
A massive avalanche in Salang, a nearly 4,000 metre pass connecting Kabul and the north of Afghanistan, has killed at least 15 and possibly up to 30, with some 70 people reported by the Defense Ministry to be injured. Official and local reports vary widely. The road along the pass is heavily traveled and 1,500 people stranded by the avalanche have been rescued despite additional smaller avalanches and heavy snow, which have hampered rescue operations.
Links to other sites: News.com.au, Australia, MSNBC
