February’s Ski News In Brief – Live and Updated

1st February 2023

Last modified on July 20th, 2023

– 2 Backcountry Skiers Die in Colorado Avalanche
– GB Slalom Skier Billy Major Honoured for Performance at World Cup
– Rescue of Japanese Skier Who Disappeared in Deep Powder
– Most Defendants in Avalanche Deaths Trial Acquitted …….UPDATED

Here we cover anything that takes our fancy.

Short news stories, eye catching videos, amusing cartoons, things that make us smile/things that make us shout at the screen… in fact anything that catches our eye in the world of snowsports.

Plus links to some of our main stories on PlanetSKI so you can keep up to speed on the ever changing world of snowsports.

See here for:

We’re mixing it up:

Fancy a 5% Discount on Your Airport Transfer?

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Monday 27th February

Backcountry Skiers Killed in Colorado Avalanche

Two people who were touring in the backcountry near Vallecito Reservoir were reported overdue from their trip on Saturday 25th February.

Just before midnight, a Flight For Life helicopter saw an avalanche southeast of the reservoir with tracks entering the avalanche and none exiting.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Centre says a search and rescue team found both skiers buried about four feet (1.2 metres) deep in avalanche debris.

Avalanche that killed 2 skiers in Colorado. Image c/o Colorado Avalanche Information Center

In a separate incident on the same day, a snowmobiler was reported missing and trapped in an avalanche close to the Red Lakes trailhead, near La Manga Pass in Colorado.

Avalanche dog teams from the Wolf Creek Ski Area joined the search on Sunday, along with forecasters from the Colorado Avalanche Information Centre and members of the local community.

The snowmobiler had not been found by Sunday evening.

Heavy snowfall last week raised the avalanche risk in Colorado.

GB Slalom Skier Billy Major Wins Award

Major was awarded the Stifel Bibbo Award for the best advancement at the World Cup at Palisades Tahoe in California on Sunday.

He started 41st in the first run and went on to finish an impressive 18th.

Not only that, he had the third fastest second run to earn that top 20 spot.

Britain’s number one, Dave Ryding, finished just a few places above him in 16th.

Crowds at the World Cup Slalom, Palisades Tahoe 2023. Image © Emily Tidwell

The race ended in dramatic fashion.

The Greek skier AJ Ginnis initially placed first, but was disqualified after he was ruled to have straddled a gate at the top of the second run.

Alexander Steen Olsen and Timon Haugan, both from Norway, were first and second respectively.

Albert Popov of Bulgaria and Clement Noel of France tied for third place.

Sunday 26th February

Extraordinary Rescue of Japanese Skier Who Disappeared in Deep Powder

This footage was posted earlier this month by freestyle skier Koji Saitoto.

He films his friend disappearing into a glide crack and then getting completely buried by the sluff that follows.

Koji is an experienced skier and was skiing on a local mountain near Sapporo at only 500m of elevation, a place that he had skied “many times before”.

In this case, Koji managed to save his friend’s life, and all riders made it down to the bottom of the hill without injury.

Friday 24th February

Most Defendants in Trial over 29 Deaths in Avalanche Acquitted

29 guests and staff died when an avalanche swept over an hotel in the Apennine mountains in Italy in 2017.

The tragedy happened when the avalanche struck Hotel Rigopiano in the town of Farindola in Italy’s Abruzzo region on January 18^th 2017.

Prosecutors had alleged that local officials and hotel’s owner & manager held degrees of responsibility for the loss of life.

25 of the 30 defendants were acquitted of all charges, including manslaughter.

Five defendants were convicted on lesser charges such as failure to clear the road for prompt rescue.

Relatives of those who died were at the court and have criticised the ruling.

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Thursday 23rd February

French Unions Plan More Strikes in March

The unions say protests against pension reforms on Tuesday 7th March will bring France to a standstill.

Public transport is likely to be severely affected.

The UK Foreign Office is warning British travellers to prepare to have their journeys disrupted on both the day before and he day after the strike.

There are threats that the walkouts could happen on a weekly basis.

The last set of strikes involved unions representing ski-lift operators, but the stoppages caused few or no problems in ski resorts, as we reported from the French Alps at the time.

Ski Lifts Strikes in French Ski Resorts Have Little Impact

Ski lifts running Les Arcs during the last strike. Image © PlanetSKI

Wednesday 22nd February

It’s good news after our post yesterday.

Tuesday 21st February

GB Freeski & Snowboard Team Arrive at World Championships Without Kit

Flying with skis or snowboards is always a worry.

Will my stuff arrive when I do?

Spare a thought for the freestyle skiers and snowboarders in the GB Snowsport team due to compete at the World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia, this week.

They have arrived. Their kit has not.

Head Coach, Pat Sharples, has been desperately trying to get hold of someone at the airline, Lufthansa, to no avail so far.

Dear @lufthansa Our team used your airline to fly to Georgia for the @FISfreestyle World champs and you lost all our skis & SNB equipment. No one in your org is returning calls or giving us info. Please please help. This is urgent! Please share🙏@GBSnowsport @TeamGB @uk_sport
— pat sharples (@Pat_Sharples) February 21, 2023

Fingers crossed they track down the baggage and get it to the athletes and coaches pronto.

The first day of competition for the Brits is Thursday with the ski cross qualifiers.

The Championships are scheduled to continue until March 5.

Ikon Pass Holders to Get $17.5m for Covid Resort Closures

A court has approved the multi-million dollar settlement of a class action brought by skiers and snowboarders who were refused refunds for their unused Ikon ski passes.

Alterra Mountain Co agreed to settle the lawsuit which involved a group of people who had ‘unlimited access’ passes but were unable to use them after the slopes closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020.

Passholders who were party to the lawsuit are set to receive between $10 to $150.

The unlimited Ikon Pass is a season pass covering several different resorts. It gives unlimited access to many ski areas in the USA and Canada and up to 7 days in many more resorts, including in Europe.

Full details of the settlement are reported on the Snow Industry News website.

Image c/o Ikon Pass

Monday 20th February

Guide Falls to Death in Switzerland

The 62-year-old guide from Italy was at Grand Golliat near La Fouly in the Valais region with a client.

Just before 1pm on Saturday, 18th February, as they climbed the north-east couloir at 3,200 metres, the guide lost his footing and fell more than 500 metres down the steep slope.

The Air-Glaciers rescue team was quickly alerted but the guide was found to be dead.

The public prosecutor, in collaboration with the Valais cantonal police, has opened an investigation.

The summit of Grand Golliat straddles the Valais region of Switzerland and the Aosta Valley in Italy.

Grand Golliat. Image c/o Valais Police

64-Year Old Ski Racer Competes in ‘Last’ Alpine World Ski Championships

Prince Hubertus of Hohenlohe-Langenburg from Mexico took part in his 20^th, and possibly last, World Championships.

During his long skiing career, he has competed in six Winter Olympics and 20 World Championships.

He missed one in 2007 after he broke his leg.

He competed at his first Winter Olympics in 1984.

He failed to finish his first run in the men’s giant slalom last Friday and admitted he may now be hanging up his race bib.

“I’d say that was the last one,” he said to Eurosport after the event.

“I probably spent too much time in the sun in Marbella in the summer and didn’t do enough in the gym,” he added.

“My wife thinks I’m completely crazy.”

Hohenlohe was born in Mexico and has dual Austrian and Liechtensteiner citizenship.

He belongs to the aristocratic House of Hohenlohe.

He founded the Mexican Skiing Association in 1981, became its president and was able to compete for the country of his birth.

“It would have been nice if I had finished,” Hohenlohe told Eurosport on Friday.

“But at least I didn’t have another net roll like in Cortina. That was a bit embarrassing. You have to feel what your body is saying and then decide.”

Alongside skiing, he has also been a pop singer, releasing eight records under the names Andy Himalaya and Royal Disaster.

Sunday 19th February

Two More Avalanche Deaths in Canada

It brings the total in British Columbia alone to 9 after a winter of heavy snow and an unstable snowpack.

The 10-year average in the province is seven avalanche deaths per season.

Only two seasons, 2011-2012 (10) and 2015-2016 (14) have proven deadlier in the last decade.

The annual winter average across the whole of Canada is 10 fatalities per season.

The latest incident happened near the resort of Kicking Horse.

Six people were involved – 5 snowboarders and 1 skier – with 3 people caught.

1 person was partially buried and 2 others fully buried.

The avalanche was 115m wide and 950m long, with a crown depth of 1.5m.

“The snowpack in British Columbia’s Interior is still incredibly complex and difficult to manage,” said Avalanche Canada.

“Deep, persistent slab problems may exhibit no signs of instability before a large avalanche occurs.

They’re most likely to be triggered on steep and rocky slopes where the snow cover is thin or variable.”

All people heading into the backcountry are urged to exercise extreme caution.

Avalanche danger. Image c/o PlanetSKI.

Saturday 18th February

Apple Devices Make False Emergency Calls from Ski Slopes

An upgrade to the Apple Watch and iPhone 14s is resulting in false calls to the emergency services near ski areas, as the devices think skiers and snowboarders who’ve fallen over have been in a car crash.

The new software upgrade to safety features is intended to detect vehicle accidents and automatically call 911.

It’s said to be so sensitive that it’s triggering on a simple fall in the snow.

Quoted on the SouthTahoeNOW.com website, Jillian Gard, South Lake Tahoe public safety dispatch supervisor, said: “We seen an increase in these calls over the past few years. Clearly, the majority of these calls are at Heavenly or Sierra. Sometimes we can speak to the person and they can advise us they are ok.”

The report says the new crash detection feature gives users 10 seconds to act on the alert message that goes out.

If they don’t respond in that time, the emergency services are notified.

The feature can be turned off.

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Friday 17th February

Katie Summerhayes Retires

The GB freestyle skier competed at three Winter Olympics and carried the flag at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics.

She won two medals at FIS World Cup and one medal at FIS World Championships.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Katie Summerhayes (@summerhayeskatie)

Climate Change Impact on the Mountains

British freestyle skier, James Woods, joined freeride world tour champion Nadine Waller on a tour of the back country in Lech, Austria to discover what effect climate change is having on the mountains.

Two More People Die in Canada Avalanches

It takes the death toll in British Columbia alone to seven this winter.

On average 10 people die in avalanches each winter across Canada.

The two back country skiers died 40kms south of Tatla Lake in the west Chilcotin region of British Columbia.

Avalanche Canada said the pair accessed Potato Peak on snowmobiles and were skiing when they were fully buried.

A search operation began when they failed to return home at the end of the day.

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Thursday 16th February

Shiffrin Parts Ways with her Coach

Mikaela Shiffrin has split with her coach, Mike Day, after seven years.

She is in the middle of a record-breaking season:

Shiffrin breaks Vonn’s record for World Cup wins

Mike Day worked with Shiffrin for 65 of her 85 World Cup victories and began coaching her in July 2016.

“After working with Mike Day for seven seasons, I’ve decided to move forward with new leadership on my team for the next phase of my career,” said Shiffrin in a statement.

“I want to thank Mike and acknowledge all of his work and dedication over the last several years.”

The US skier is currently competing at the Alpine Ski World Championships in Meribel-Courchevel.

2023 Alpine Ski World Championships Underway

It is reported Mike Day has left the event and is on his way back to the USA.

2023 Alpine World Championships. Image © PlanetSKI

Here’s One Fortunate Backcountry Skier

Skiing But Not As We Know It

Although this happened a few weeks ago, we couldn’t resist sharing the photo below that’s been sent to PlanetSKI.

It’s a reminder of what skiing used to look like.

The nattily turned out skiers are members of Ladies’ Ski Club celebrating their 100th anniversary in Murren, Switzerland, where the Club was founded.

Part of the celebrations involved a 1920s costumed slalom race.

Ladies Ski Club 100th anniversary 1920s costumed slalom race. Image Matt Lumb

The event was featured on the BBC’s Ski Sunday and the race forerunner was the Ski Sunday presenter, GB former racer and long-time member and advocate for the Club, Chemmy Alcott.

The Club will also be holding a special Gala Dinner on 22 September at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, Knightsbridge.

We are told that illustrious female ski racers past and present will be speaking at the event.

Wednesday, February 15th

Strikes at Heathrow Could Disrupt Easter Ski Travel

More than 3,000 security guards, firefighters and engineers at Heathrow Airport are due to be balloted over a 10% deal.

They have so far rejected the pay offer.

“If members take strike action it will inevitably cause severe disruption throughout Heathrow,” Unite regional co-ordinating officer Wayne King said.

The ballot closes in mid-March and, if there is a strike, it could coincide with the Easter holidays.

A spokesperson at Heathrow said if the strikes do go ahead the pay offer will be withdrawn.

Heathrow Airport. Image © PlanetSKI

Tuesday, February 14th

Ski Chats

It seems PlanetSKI reporter, Claire McAteer, has found someone to chat with in Adelboden in Switzerland.

Adelboden, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

Some Wifi Passwords Are Better Than Others

Here’s the offering from The Tea Room in Adelboden, Switzerland:

Adelboden, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

Monday, February 13th

Snowboarding Down Snowdon

39-year-old John Blundell fulfilled his ambition last month reports Wales Online.

He has visited Yr Wyddfa, to give the mountain its Welsh name, more than 100 times.

Usually for hiking or mountain biking.

In 2005 and he met a man with a snowboard and decided one day he would come down the mountain on a snowboard.

The only problem has been that he didn’t know how to snowboard.

The years passed and in 2013 he met his wife to be, Lauren, who was a keen skier – she then encouraged him to learn to snowboard.

Last January, when there was heavy snow in the area, his dream came true.

Sunday, February 12th

Wild Boar Attacks Snowboarders at Ski Resort in Japan

A wild boar appears at the Ikenotaira Onsen Ski Area in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture.

Watch what happens next…

Saturday, February 11th.

King Charles Cancels Annual Ski Holiday to Klosters

He will not be going to the Swiss resort amid concerns he might injure himself ahead of his coronation on May 6th.

He has been going for 45-years and normally goes in February or March.

“Also it would be disastrous to suffer a skiing accident,” the source added, referencing “all focus” being on the coronation

Sources have reportedly also said that the Royals are also mindful of the message a ski trip would send during the cost of living crisis.

Friday, February 10th

Snowboarder Falls Off T-Bar With Some Consequences

Thursday, February 9th

Glacial Lake Floods Could Affect 15 Million People

Scientists have been studying the impact of climate change on glacial lakes and are warning there’s a risk to the lives of millions of people.

The lakes are formed by melting glaciers. They have natural dams made of loose rocks and ice that can collapse suddenly and unpredictably.

The number of glacial lakes has been increasing rapidly since 1990.

The researchers warn that up to 15 million people are at risk of catastrophic flooding from what are known as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).

A study published in the journal Nature Communications says more than half of those at risk live in mountainous countries in Asia and South America, where large numbers live within 10km of a glacial lake.

“GLOFs can be highly destructive and can arrive with little prior warning, causing significant damage to property, infrastructure, and agricultural land, and resulting in extensive loss of life,” the study says.

The impact varies according to location.

In the Alps in the last 1,000 years, only 393 deaths can be directly linked to glacial lake floods, while in Peru in the last 70 years thousands have died.

“The continued ice loss and expansion of glacial lakes due to climate change therefore represents a globally important natural hazard that requires urgent attention if future loss of life from GLOF is to be minimised,” it says.

Mont Fort glacier, Verbier. Image © PlanetSKI

RELATED STORIES

Life on the Road. And Rail

PlanetSKI’s editor, James Cove headed from Chamonix in France to Adelboden in Switzerland this week.

Via the The Lötschberg Tunnel that connects the Swiss towns of Kandersteg in the canton of Berne and Goppenstein in the canton of Valais.

It was built in June 1913 and is 14.6kms long.

It certainly broke up the journey:

Fast departure:

Slower arrival:

Wednesday, February 8th

US Snowboarders Allege Abuse by Coach

Three former US snowboarders have filed a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by a former coach.

They claim the abuse was covered up by the national governing body US Ski & Snowboard and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Olympic bronze medallist Rosey Fletcher, Erin O’Malley and Callan Chythlook-Sifsof allege that Peter Foley exploited his position of trust to “coerce sexual acts through force, manipulation, emotional abuse, intimidation and retaliation”.

They accuse the USSS and USOPC of failing to act when allegations of abuse were reported.

The newspaper says that Peter Foley was head coach of the US Snowboard team from 1994 to 2022 when he was suspended.

He denies the allegations.

USSS said it prioritises the safety, health and well-being of its athletes and staff.

USOPC said it takes every allegation of abuse very serious.

Tuesday, February 7th

No Camping

Only Chamonix would have such a sign at the top of a lift station!

Saturday, February 4th

More Success for GB Freestylers

Yeah, Kirsty Muir just did that!🥈🤩
Congratulations Kirsty to an incredible 2nd place in the @FISfreestyle Slopestyle World Cup at @MammothMountain 🦣🏔️#gbsnowsport pic.twitter.com/MPdf6ry5mN
— GB Snowsport (@GBSnowsport) February 4, 2023

2️⃣ for @zoeaatkin at the @FISfreestyle Halfpipe World Cup at @MammothMountain 🤩⚡️
Well done 🥈🫶🇬🇧#gbsnowsport #rubiconraw pic.twitter.com/XBbEqnjEDw
— GB Snowsport (@GBSnowsport) February 4, 2023

It comes after their successes at the X-Games: