Ski & snow news

A Danish skier in his thirties has been killed by an avalanche this afternoon at Val d’Isère. The avalanche occurred on the West facing Grand Vallon at 2700 meters altitude. The skier was part of a group of eight from the UCPA and accompanied by an instructor.

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Working in cooperation with the Compagnie du Mont Blanc, a partnership of a mountain guide and ski instructor has produced a video aiming to reduce the number of skiers falling into crevasses. The 6 minute video will be screened all winter at the Aiguille du Midi and Grands Montets ski areas.

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While governments plan a long term strategy to cope with climate change the return of a real winter in Europe, particularly the North, has left public services struggling to cope. Airports at Chambery, Grenoble and Lyon were unable to run normal schedules with some winter sports enthusiasts diverted to Milan or left waiting three days to get a flight.

Photo - Luc Thollet http://www.bivouak.net/

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Backcountry travellers risk being buried in an avalanche of hyperbole this winter as journalists and law-makers turn their sights on off piste skiers. Writing from the comfort of some Parisien brassiere the Guardian’s intrepid Lizzy Davies alluded to a “Winter of Terror” similar to 1999 or 1950 with “alpine residents living in fear” of avalanches raining down on their chalets. 

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The 2008-2009 ski season in France saw 35 avalanche fatalities in 24 incidents. The number of fatal incidents is above the median established since 1989 of 19 incidents. The season had good snow conditions from late November through to May with four major periods of avalanche activity.

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An overview of developments at this year’s IKAR

IKAR 09 ZERMATT from topograph media on Vimeo.

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admin Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding News, General News, Ski & snow news Les Houches

The Chamonix based ENSA has just announce the 46 new traininee guides for France. Amongst the list of names on the ENSA website is Karine Ruby. Karine won Olympic gold for snowboarding at Nagano in 1998. The first time this event had been included in the Winter Olympics. She topped it up with silver in Salt Lake four years later. Now retired from competitive snowboarding following injuries in a boarder cross event she won won six world titles during her career.

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The relationship between local communities and the ski areas run by the mighty Compagnie des Alpes has not been great over the last few years with resorts accusing the CdA of favouring well heeled guests and is tight fisted with investments and lift pass receipts. The CdA has countered that it invests heavily in the ski areas it runs and is operating in a very competitive global market. Resorts were further angered by the introduction of the Carte Skier Fréquent pass last season. Mayors claimed the lift pass would homogenize ski resorts.

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Rescue services in Chamonix have said there is little hope of finding eight missing climbers, buried by an avalanche on Mont Blanc early today, alive. Two missing Italians checked in with the authorities when they returned to the valley.

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