Nagano, Japan – On Monday, January 20, 2018 an avalanche caught, buried, and killed a snowboarder in the backcountry near the Tsugaiki Kogen Ski Resort near Hakuba in the Northern Alps of Nagano, Japan.
The avalanche occurred at roughly 2500 meters on an east slope. According to Nadare.jp, the snowboarder was fully buried in the slide on Minowa Hakuzan and Funakoshi Ueno. A rescue was initiated by his two companions and a guide/party in the area.
Unfortunately the avalanche beacon was not turned on and a probe line was started by roughly 30 people in the area. The victim was located after 1 hour 20 minutes. He was buried 50 cm deep. Resuscitaiton efforts were maintained until a helicopter arrived and transported the individual to the hospital. The victim was also wearing an airbag that was not deployed.
Nadare.jp classified the avalanche as a size 2 slide that ran roughly 250 vertical meters. It was 30 meters wide and 20-70cm deep. Photos are available in the accident report on Nadare.jp
NHK.or.jp identified the man as 40-year-old Mr. Masato Sato.
We will try to update this post when more information is available.
See Also: Global Avalanche Accidents 2017/2018
Read more about the avalanche in Nagano, Japan from the following sources:
Information in this post was found using Google Translate. There may be errors in this information. Please use the sources listed above to verify all facts.
