avalanche

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Olympic Snowboarder Killed in Avalanche

Switzerland's Sophie Hediger was 26

(Newser) - Sophie Hediger, a member of Switzerland's snowboard cross team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has died following an avalanche at a mountain resort, the country's skiing federation said on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday at the Arosa resort in Switzerland, reports the AP . The New York ...

He Got Buried in an Avalanche, Dug Himself Out

But 2 others died on the slopes of Utah on Thursday, after days of spring snowstorms

(Newser) - Two backcountry skiers were killed and one was rescued after they were swept up and buried in an avalanche Thursday in the mountains outside of Salt Lake City that occurred after several days of spring snowstorms, authorities said. A rescue team went to the area midmorning after the avalanche was...

His Job Was Forecasting Avalanches. He Died in One

Nick Burks, 37, triggered snowslide on Oregon's Gunsight Mountain while skiing with a friend

(Newser) - An avalanche forecaster died in a snowslide he triggered while skiing in eastern Oregon last week, officials said. Nick Burks, 37, and a friend—both experienced and carrying avalanche airbags and beacons—were backcountry skiing the chute on Gunsight Mountain on Wednesday, near Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort. Burks' friend skied...

Well-Known US Skier Dies in Avalanche at Kosovo Resort

Katherine 'Kasha' Rigby, 54, was swept into a tree

(Newser) - Katherine 'Kasha' Rigby, 54, a well-known US skier, died at a Kosovo ski resort Tuesday when she was caught up in an avalanche and swept into a tree. Rigby, who was born in Vermont and first trained on East Coast slopes, later moved to Utah and Colorado and skied...

These Experts Warn of a 'House of Cards' on the Slopes

The AP explains how a weak bottom layer creates life-threatening conditions

(Newser) - Avalanche safety specialists say their job has become more difficult in recent years as climate change brings extreme weather, and surging numbers of skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers visit backcountry areas since the COVID-19 pandemic. More people means more chances to trigger fatal avalanches, despite technological advances in safety equipment, explains...

Doctor, 67, Dies in Colorado Avalanche

It appears Peter Harrelson may have not been killed upon impact

(Newser) - Colorado logged a grim happening on Monday: its first avalanche death of the season. The San Miguel County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that Dr. Peter Harrelson, a 67-year-old longtime Ophir resident, died during a backcountry trip near his hometown. The Montrose Daily Press reports Harrelson had set out to...

'EVERY State in US' Under NWS' Watchful Eye This Weekend

Brutal cold, storms threaten Iowa caucus, NFL playoffs in Buffalo and Kansas City

(Newser) - Brutally cold weather could prove a deadly challenge Saturday amid a continuing wave of Arctic storms that have hammered much of the country with blinding snow, freezing rain, and whipping winds. Governors from New York to Louisiana declared states of emergency ahead of predicted snow and bone-chilling temperatures. In St....

Woman Pulled From Tahoe Avalanche by Good Samaritan

Avalanche at California ski resort left one dead, one injured

(Newser) - A woman buried in the deadly avalanche that hit California's Palisades Tahoe ski resort Wednesday is alive thanks to a stranger who pulled her from the snow. Janet He was skiing just behind her husband when she saw more and more snow coming down the mountain, she tells ABC...

1 Dead, 3 Injured in Ski Resort Avalanche

Slide occurred Wednesday morning at Palisades Tahoe

(Newser) - An avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring three others, as a major storm with snow and gusty winds moved into the region, authorities said. The avalanche prompted Palisades Tahoe to close 30 minutes...

US Climber, Sherpa Dead After Himalayan Avalanches

2 more are missing, including sherpa who recently set record

(Newser) - American mountaineer Anna Gutu and a Nepalese guide, Mingmar Sherpa, were confirmed dead Sunday after avalanches struck the slopes of a Tibetan mountain, while two others remained missing, according to Chinese media reports. The avalanches struck Tibet's Mount Shishapangma on Saturday afternoon at about 25,000 feet and about...

As Climbing Tragedies Go, It Was Among the Very Worst

'Outside' revisits the 2022 avalanche that killed 29 on India's Draupadi Ka Danda II

(Newser) - On October 4, 2022 , the summit was in sight; then tragedy struck in the form of what would prove to be among the very deadliest avalanches in mountaineering history. In a lengthy piece for Outside , Anna Callaghan revisits what happened that day on India's Draupadi Ka Danda II, or...

Huge Rock Slide Misses Village by a Whisker

Residents of Brienz, Switzerland, evacuated last month, just in case

(Newser) - Residents of the tiny Swiss village of Brienz had to evacuate last month because geologists feared a massive rock slide was imminent. The geologists were proved to be correct overnight Thursday, though the massive rock slide stopped short of the village by a matter of feet. Remarkable images show the...

NPS Worker Dies While Skiing in Denali

Witness says Eric Walter triggered avalanche in Alaska preserve

(Newser) - A National Park Service staffer died last week in Denali National Park & Preserve, in an avalanche he himself may have triggered. In a Friday statement cited by CBS News , the NPS reports that Eric Walter was killed Thursday while taking part in some backcountry skiing on a "north-facing...

French Alps Avalanche Kills 6
French Alps Avalanche Kills 6
Apr 10, 2023 11:06 AM CDT

French Alps Avalanche Kills 6

Death toll includes 2 mountain guides; 8 others were rescued

(Newser) - The death toll from Sunday's avalanche in the French Alps rose to six, including two mountain guides, local authorities said Monday. The prosecutor's office in Bonneville, in the Haute-Savoie region, said the body of a sixth person was found after searches resumed Monday morning. The prefecture of Haute-Savoie...

2 Skiers Killed in Late Colorado Avalanches

Recent storms have made conditions more dangerous

(Newser) - It's been a deadly few days for snow sports in Colorado, with two people dead in separate late-winter avalanches. The AP notes that recent storms have raised the risks of avalanches and takes a look at the incidents:
  • A skier was killed Sunday in a large avalanche in
...

'It Looked Like He Was Basically Sliding Down the Mountain'

Man records snowboarder, skier caught in avalanche at New Hampshire's Mount Washington

(Newser) - RJ Phipps was hiking up Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington over the weekend with his wife when he took out his camera to shoot a snowboarder and skier. Within seconds, Phipps watched as the two men were nearly engulfed by an avalanche, and he caught it all on video . The...

Avalanche Kills 2 Skiers in Colorado
Colorado Skiers
Killed in Avalanche
Feb 27, 2023 1:30 AM CST

Colorado Skiers Killed in Avalanche

Men were skiing the backcountry

(Newser) - Two men were killed by an avalanche while skiing the backcountry in Colorado on Saturday. The men set out near Vallecito Reservoir that morning, in full avalanche gear, with the intention of returning the same day, but when they hadn't come back by evening, someone reported them missing, the...

Climber Hikes Overnight for Help After Avalanche Kills 3

Cascade Mountains avalanche was America's deadliest in 2 years

(Newser) - Heavy snowfall and high winds on Tuesday kept searchers away from a remote, jagged peak in Washington’s Cascade Mountains, where an avalanche killed three climbers from the northeastern US over the weekend. The slide struck Sunday as a group of six climbers were ascending a steep, snow-packed gulley on...

US Pro Skier Kyle Smaine Dies in Avalanche

'An all around great skier, an all around great, kind person'

(Newser) - Celebrated American freestyle skier Kyle Smaine was one of two men killed in an avalanche at a ski resort in central Japan Sunday. The Lake Tahoe-based skier's father confirmed the death to NBC . Smaine, 31, posted an Instagram video of himself skiing Sunday, praising the "unbelievable snow quality,...

'Violent' Avalanche Kills University President's Son

Andy Feinstein says he dug himself out, sought help before Nick's body was found in Colorado

(Newser) - A New Year's Eve avalanche fully buried the president of the University of Northern Colorado and his 22-year-old son, and the latter died. UNCO President Andy Feinstein says he and his son, Nick, were skiing in the backcountry beyond the boundaries of Breckenridge Ski Resort on Saturday when both...

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