Have you ever wondered what a real mountain rescue looks like. Short of being at the receiving end of one (touch wood you won’t have to be) you won’t get a good look in. Think again. The nice folks over at the Guardian newspaper have a great photo essay of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team [...] Read more »
Avalanche Kills 9 Climbers in Chamonix – Updated
UPDATED Reports are just emerging of what looks to be the worst climbing accident in years at Chamonix, where an avalanche early on the morning of July 12 has killed nine people and injured as many as 20 more. Among those who were killed was Roger Payne, a well-known British climber and guide. He was [...] Read more »
Amazing Avalanche Survival Video – Float Airbag to the Rescue
I’ve previously posted some of the amazing footage relating to the survival of a guy caught in an avalanche wearing an Avalung system. It is pretty amazing stuff and if you haven’t seen it yet I suggest you click through to take a look and come back because it sets you up for the next [...] Read more »
Avalanche Airbag System Teams up With The North Face
There’s a new avalanche safety airbag safety system that is just coming out where they have teamed up with The North Face to embed their amazing and lifesaving avalanche safety gear into backpacks made by one of the leading brands in outdoor equipment. Now I’ve been a huge fan of the Avalanche Airbag for a [...] Read more »
Avalanche Airbag System Recall – Updated With Statement
I almost missed this but there has been a recall on some Avalanche Airbag System gas canisters that could prevent them from inflating. The company has just sent me the full statement and letter it is sending to clients. Please be sure to check your system if you have one. ABS recalls steel cartridges for [...] Read more »
Amazing Image of a Mountain Rescue
The dramatic pictures of this rescue, that took place in mid-winter in Scotland, more or less tell it all. Climbers were stranded and injured under cold conditions. One (Daniel Rafferty, 19) had already fallen to his death. The Royal Airforce flight sergeant, Mark Lean, knew nothing about climbing. Yet when he was winched down to [...] Read more »
Avalanche Safety Gear: Probes, Avalanche Beacons and Shovels
I’ve written quite a bit in the past about advanced avalanche safety gear that is meant to help you survive an avalanche. These are bits of safety equipment such as the Snowpulse, ABS (Avalanche Airbag System) and Black Diamond Avalung that are all meant to help you once you have actually been buried by a [...] Read more »
Ferrino and Snowpulse Team up with Cyber Safe Avalanche Airbag Backpack
Ferrino has just introduced a new backpack with a built in Avalanche Airbag that promises to help keep people safer on the slopes. The Cyber Safe, which seems a pretty offbeat name for a backpack (does it come with virus protection and anti phishing software?) claims it is the lightest avalanche airbag system on the [...] Read more »
Ice Axe Weather
Snow storm daisy dumped a lovely load on us in Germany this week (along with the rest of Europe) and although I wasn’t on the hill, the weather made it feel like I was. So it was perfectly well timed that I stumbled across a great beginners guide to choosing an ice axe over at [...] Read more »
Avalanche provides bad start to the European snowsports season
Post-Christmas avalanches in Italy that killed 7 have provided a sobering reminder of the dangers they pose. In this instance it seems that a couple of people disregarded warnings of a high risk of avalanche and ventured out on snowshoes before being swept away. A group of rescuers including guides and instructors set out to [...] Read more »