Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding
Sun Apr 24 04:40:39 EDT 2011
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A tunnel for the Gouter couloir - Anyone who has climbed to the summit of Mont Blanc from St Gervais will know that crossing the Goûter couloir is a game of Russian roulette. You look up the couloir at the same time listening for stone fall. If all is quiet you have about five seconds to cross the death zone at the same time clinging to a suspended rope to avoid slipping. It is not a place for the faint hearted and has been the scene of a number of dramas over the years. Dome du Goûter

Switzerland: thin snow pack primes avalanche time bomb - In a press release issued on the 19th April 2011 the Swiss Snow and Avalanche Research Institute (SLF) highlighted how a winter marked by above average temperatures and a thin snow pack led to an explosive situation by early March where the majority of fatal avalanches were recorded. It is a message we at PisteHors.com repeated throughout the season in our snow report threads. The number of deaths in Switzerland is already equivalent to the long term annual average despite fewer risk 3 and 4 avalanche days. Avalanches, such as this on in the Simplon on a north slope above 2500m, were easy to trigger by one or more backcountry travellers at the end of winter 2011. (Photo: C.Höhener, 06.03.2011)

Worst snow in living memory according to Meteo France - Following an exceptionally hot start to April Meteo France has said that French mountain ranges have the worst snow cover ever recorded for the period. Snow depths are 40% to 80% less than normal although this is less marked at altitude. A ribbon runs through it

Spain to charge for rescue services - The Basque regional government is following the example of Catalonia in 2009 and will start charging for mountain rescue if a law currently going through parliament is approved. They cite the increasing number of operations and the costs to provide a good service and a number of abuses, such as people calling in helicopters just because they are tired.

Six dead, one missing in French avalanches - The rescue services were stretched to the limit this weekend as a series of avalanches with their epicenter close to the Italian border left six skiers dead and one missing. On Friday avalanches in Val d’Isere and Queyras killed two skiers with a Russian missing in the Mont du Vallon sectors sector of Meribel. He is believed to be buried under 5 meters of snow in a sector dangerous for rescuers. There was also a large slide under the Funitel at Val Thorens on an already heavily tracked slope. Avalanche on the Mont Vallon - Niall Mckelvie

Alps smog bound - Snow levels may be some of the worst for 40 years according to Meteo France but the anticyclone sitting over Europe is also having a bad affect on pollution. According to the authorities we are currently in the 10th day of a pollution alert concerning particle emissions. The worst hit areas are the Arva Valley, Geneva Basin and the Chambery - Annecy corridor.

Chalets Lang and Troika threatened with destruction - The Chalet Lang is a symbol of Courchevel, at least of how Courchevel used to be before it was covered with faux Tyrolean architecture for Russian Oligarchs. It also seems to be a past that disturbs the local mayor of St Bon, Gilbert Blanc Tailleur (GBT). Chalet Lang

Fake Petzl climbing gear - Petzl is warning of fake climbing gear available on the market. They say the products are very difficult to identify without a detailed analysis. They are practically identical in terms of design, color, product markings, batch number and instructions. However in tests the products failed at around 2/3 rds of the minimum UIAA and European safety requirements. So far on rare examples have been found, none in North America.

Worst winter for a generation in French Alps - 20.6°C at Luchon at 618 meters in the Pyrenees, 19.6°C at Chamonix in the Haute-Savoie at 1000m, 19°C at la Mure close to Grenoble at 920m and 18.7 at Bourg-St-Maurice/les Arcs at 868 meters. No we are not talking about the first days of summer but the 7th of February as thermometers registered temperatures never seen in February in the French Mountains. There has been no significant snowfall in the French Alps since the 11th January. Pistes at a French ski resort situated at 1650 meters on Sunday

Guide injured by avalanche charge - Last week 63 year old High Mountain Guide Jean-Louis Lechène based in Cauterets in the Pyrenees set out from Lys on a ski tour. His objective, the west ridge of the Monné where he continued his climb on crampons. During his climb he spotted a long aluminium tube embedded in the snow. He immediately recognized it as a charge fired from a compressed air avalanche canon. The charge would normally explode with the aim of triggering any avalanche above the resort’s ski pistes before they are opened. Avalancheur in action - http://www.zapiks.fr/l-avalancheur.html