Sadly, It’s Europe’s Turn
January 25th, 2009Posted in Skiing Everywhere
The winter of 2008-2009 started off in the Western U.S. and Canade with a miserable and dangerous snowpack which resulted in a cluster of avalanche deaths once heavy snows started falling. The recent heavy snowfalls in the Alps ratched up the danger there and a total of seven people have been reported as avalanche fatalities just this weekend.
One doesn’t normally associate the British Isles with either skiing or avalanches, but an avalanche killed three people near Glencoe, Scotland on Saturday too.
Let’s hope Mauna Lou doesn’t make any avalanche news this winter also.
Evan commented:
An avalanche in Turkey also killed 10 people today:
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLP661571
You have to wonder how often avalanches kill people around the world each year that we just don’t hear about. There’s mountains all over – in Turkey, China, Afghanistan, etc, etc. I bet avalanches in the Hindu Kush take out entire villages every year and we are clueless about it.
I just Googled it, and it looks like I’m not too far off. 10 dead in Afghanistan six days ago! Man…
http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=225409
snowman commented:
Evan- You’re on to something. The vast mountain ranges spanning Asia are inland, like our Rockies, so they probably get a similar dry and avalanchy snow. A few years ago when Rita and I were in India, we met a couple of French avalanche scientists who were in India for an international conference on avalanches. I guess India was hosting it because they realize they need to learn about the most up-to-date research to keep their people, and in India’s case, their soldiers, safe.