Do you know what happened in the mountains this week? Here’s a selection of backcountry news, articles, posts, videos, photos, and other cool things that we think you’d like to know about. Enjoy!
- Avalanche Kills Backcountry Skier Near Ulrichen, Switzerland – A Mountain Journey – A Swiss skier was caught, buried, and killed in an avalanche in Valais, Switzerland on March 27, 2016.
- Avalanche Kills Hiker In Spanish Pyrenees
– A Mountain Journey – A hiker was killed in an avalanche in Spain’s Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park on March 27, 2016.
- SNOTEL Data: The Current Western US Snowpack – April 1, 2016 – A Mountain Journey – The snowpack is above average in most locations across the western US.
- 2 Civilians Killed In Kashmir Avalanche Near Line Of Control – A Mountain Journey – Two civilians died in an avalanche while clearing the road near Sadhna Pass in Kashmir on March 27, 2016.
- Video: Avalanche Throws Skier Off 50-Foot Cliff In East Vail Chutes, CO – SnowBrains.com – Austin Porzak posted a video of an avalanche in East Vail. Definitely a close call.
- UAF Students, Instructors Nearly Buried In Avalanche During Class – KTVA.com – Nine University of Alaska Fairbanks students and four instructors had a near miss when they were almost buried in an avalanche near Canwell Glacier at the start of an intro mountaineering course.
- Storm Damage Wipes Out 2,000 Mount Rainier Wilderness Reservations For 2016 – BellinghamHerald.com – A winter storm destroyed the wilderness permit reservation system for Mount Rainier. Now all wilderness permits will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Remembering Doug Coombs, 10 Years Later – Backcountry Magazine – On April 3, 2006 skiing legend Doug Coombs fell while trying to save a friend in La Grave, France.
- RIP: Mitch Weber – Telemark’s Visionary (1956-2016) – EarnYourTurns.com – Mitch Weber of TelemarkTalks.com passed away on March 26, 2016.
- MtnMeister Purchased by Walt Disney Co, Will Join ESPN Radio – Facebook – The outdoor podcast MtnMeister has been purchased and will soon be broadcast on ESPN Radio.
- The Skinny On When and How Bears De-Hibernate – Adventure-Journal.com – It might be time to start skinning with bear spray again…
- Helping Google Map The World – OutsideOnline.com – Google street view is hitting the trails with its new program Trekkers. Cool or not cool?
- 2 Injured In White Pass Avalanche, South of Whitehorse – CBC.ca – A group of backcountry skiers was injured in an avalanche on Log Cabin mountain in the Yukon. Another close call.
- Alaskan Volcano Erupts Throwing 20,000-Foot Tall Ash Plume Yesterday – SnowBrains.com – A large volcano erupted in the Aleutian Chain of Alaska.
- Snowmobilers Get Up Close With Polar Bear In Labrador – CBC.ca – Would you get this close to a polar bear?
- Freeskiing World Tour Highlights From Big Sky, Montana – WestElkProject.com – Another FWT event went off at Big Sky. Watch the highlights.
- Desert Dust Causing Colorado’s Snowpack to Melt Early – TheDenverChannel.com – A February dust layer is causing Colorado’s snow to melt earlier than it used to. Dirt+Snow=Snirt
What backcountry news did we miss? Tell us in the comments below. Have an awesome week!
