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| France blasted by Artic Storms | 19/07/2011 18:19 |
| We?ve been hoping to get you some pics of the snow but the weather has been just too bad the last few days. More seriously the bodies of two climbers, one from Annecy and the other from Marseille, have been found on Monday at 4200 meters on Mont Blanc in the dôme du Goûter area. The thirty year olds had first contacted the mountain rescue on Saturday at 20h00 after getting lost on the mountain. Although conditions were good earler in the day the weather closed in later. The PGHM based in Chamonix attempted two helicopter reconnaisance missions but were unable to locate the men due to poor visibility, snow and high winds. | |
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| Mountain rescue, triumph and tragedy | 12/06/2011 13:06 |
| The Isere section of the PGHM (Peloton de gendarmerie de haute montagne) celebrated its 50th anniversary this weekend with a remembrance service in the morning and a practical demonstration of the technical capabilities of this elite military mountain division in the afternoon. | |
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| A tunnel for the Gouter couloir | 22/04/2011 1:43 |
| 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 | |
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| Switzerland: thin snow pack primes avalanche time bomb | 20/04/2011 7:32 |
| 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) | |
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| Worst snow in living memory according to Meteo France | 14/04/2011 13:41 |
| 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 | |
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| Spain to charge for rescue services | 31/03/2011 5:59 |
| 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. | |
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| Six dead, one missing in French avalanches | 19/03/2011 12:36 |
| 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 | |
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| Alps smog bound | 11/03/2011 16:36 |
| 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. | |
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| Chalets Lang and Troika threatened with destruction | 27/02/2011 5:38 |
| 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 | |
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| Fake Petzl climbing gear | 15/02/2011 11:38 |
| 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. | |
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