Peregrinator
Hooded On A Hill
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"Because it's there."
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Peregrinator
Hooded On A Hill
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trysail
Catch Me Who Can
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That's why I have the big screen (well, that and the spreadsheets
).
thør
Karhu-er
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trysail
Catch Me Who Can
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From NPR:
At least a dozen trekkers have been killed in unseasonable blizzards and an avalanche in the foothills of Nepal's Himalayan mountain range.
NPR's Julie McCarthy, reporting from New Delhi, says locals and international tourists are among the dead. Rescuers say those killed include four Canadians, two Poles, an Israeli, an Indian and a Nepali.
The Wall Street Journal says:
"More than 100 tourists were crossing the nearly 18,000-foot-high Thorong La pass when heavy snow began to fall Tuesday, said Basant Hamal, general secretary of the nonprofit Himalayan Rescue Association.
"Many rushed to descend to lower altitudes, but others were trapped as the storm closed in. By Wednesday evening, 18 survivors had been rescued, Mr. Hamal said."
Julie says the bad weather has been linked to cyclone Hudhud.
The trekkers were descending from Mount Annapurna, the world's 10th-highest peak and one of the most popular high-altitude treks in Nepal, Julie says.
At least a dozen trekkers have been killed in unseasonable blizzards and an avalanche in the foothills of Nepal's Himalayan mountain range.
NPR's Julie McCarthy, reporting from New Delhi, says locals and international tourists are among the dead. Rescuers say those killed include four Canadians, two Poles, an Israeli, an Indian and a Nepali.
The Wall Street Journal says:
"More than 100 tourists were crossing the nearly 18,000-foot-high Thorong La pass when heavy snow began to fall Tuesday, said Basant Hamal, general secretary of the nonprofit Himalayan Rescue Association.
"Many rushed to descend to lower altitudes, but others were trapped as the storm closed in. By Wednesday evening, 18 survivors had been rescued, Mr. Hamal said."
Julie says the bad weather has been linked to cyclone Hudhud.
The trekkers were descending from Mount Annapurna, the world's 10th-highest peak and one of the most popular high-altitude treks in Nepal, Julie says.
trysail
Catch Me Who Can
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Death Toll In Himalaya Reaches 27
The death toll from unseasonal snowstorms and avalanches in Nepal that trapped dozens of trekkers on the slopes of the Himalayas has risen to 27, with 70 more still missing, Nepalese authorities say.
At least a dozen people are dead on the Annapurna Circuit, and 10 others have been killed in surrounding areas. Many of the dead are foreign trekkers from Canada, Poland, France, Israel, Slovakia and India. At least eight Nepalese are also among the casualties, the BBC says.
The Associated Press quotes Ganga Sagar Pant of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal as saying that some 70 people are still missing along or near the popular Annapurna trail, where the death toll was expected to rise.
The Guardian reports:
"High winds and blizzards hit much of central Nepal this week as the tail end of a cyclone travelling west across northern India reached the Himalayan mountain chain. The head of the Trekking Agencies Association Nepal said there had never been a disaster like it.
"The trekking group is reported to be trapped close to the 5,400m (17,700ft) Thorong La, a pass on the famous three-week Annapurna circuit route. Clear weather has raised hopes that they will be reached before further deaths, though there are concerns that members may be suffering exposure, frostbite and severe dehydration."
"The trekking group is reported to be trapped close to the 5,400m (17,700ft) Thorong La, a pass on the famous three-week Annapurna circuit route. Clear weather has raised hopes that they will be reached before further deaths, though there are concerns that members may be suffering exposure, frostbite and severe dehydration."
trysail
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excerpted from: http://newsok.com/nepal-blizzard-avalanche-death-toll-rises-to-25/article/feed/747654
I have yet to see any estimates of the snowfall from this particular storm. As you would expect, it likely varied by location and altitude.
[highlighted sections]
"I was sure I was going to die on the way to the pass because I lost my group, I lost all the people I was with and I could not see anything," said Linor Kajan, an injured Israeli who said she was stuck in waist-deep snow.
"One Nepalese guide who knows the way saw me and asked me to stay with him. And he dragged me, really dragged me to the tea shop. And everybody there was really frightened," she said.
Another Israeli survivor, Yakov Megreli, said they tried to stay awake in the tea shop to stay warm.
"We tried not to sleep. We tried not to get hypothermia. It was a very frightening and awful situation," he said.
The blizzard, the tail end of a cyclone that hit the Indian coast a few days earlier, appeared to contribute to an avalanche that killed at least eight people in Phu village in neighboring Manang district. The dead included one Indian and four Canadian trekkers as well as three villagers, said government official Devendra Lamichane.
The foreigners' bodies were buried in up to 2 meters (6½ feet) of snow and digging them out will take days...
"One Nepalese guide who knows the way saw me and asked me to stay with him. And he dragged me, really dragged me to the tea shop. And everybody there was really frightened," she said.
Another Israeli survivor, Yakov Megreli, said they tried to stay awake in the tea shop to stay warm.
"We tried not to sleep. We tried not to get hypothermia. It was a very frightening and awful situation," he said.
The blizzard, the tail end of a cyclone that hit the Indian coast a few days earlier, appeared to contribute to an avalanche that killed at least eight people in Phu village in neighboring Manang district. The dead included one Indian and four Canadian trekkers as well as three villagers, said government official Devendra Lamichane.
The foreigners' bodies were buried in up to 2 meters (6½ feet) of snow and digging them out will take days...
thør
Karhu-er
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I would expect a cyclone to bring in that much snow.
trysail
Catch Me Who Can
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Noodles Airdropped for Survivors as Blizzard Toll Climbs
By Adi Narayan
October 17, 2014
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-...eadliest-himalayan-avalanche-rises-to-24.html
Rescue workers in Nepal airdropped packaged noodles to about 70 trekkers trapped in the Annapurna mountain range as the death toll from a blizzard three days ago rose to 28, the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal said.
Authorities are also scouring the area for bodies of an unknown number of missing hikers. Search and rescue dogs are expected to be brought in to sniff out remains buried in the snow, which is 6 feet deep in some places, Gangaram Pant, chief executive officer of the association, said today by telephone.
Citizens from Israel, Canada, Vietnam and India are among the dead, along with at least 11 Nepali guides, porters and local shepherds, who were caught by surprise by the freak snowstorm, Pant said. Unlike Mount Everest, the Annapurna circuit is cheaper and a relatively easier trek that attracts amateurs who may not be trained to trek in adverse weather, worsening the death toll, according to Pant.
“It was a sudden snowstorm that came with no warning,” said Pant, whose organization is among agencies engaged in the rescue operations. “This is the worst mountaineering accident in our history as far as I can remember.”
The disaster is the second major trekking catastrophe in the country this year, and highlights the risks taken by adventure-seekers and Sherpas who take clients up some of the world’s most treacherous slopes. In April, an avalanche on the deadly Khumbu icefall on Mount Everest claimed the lives of as many as 16 Sherpas, who were preparing the route for a foreign expedition.
Climbing Mecca
The section of the Himalayas where this week’s accident occurred includes deep gorges, picturesque valleys, and 14 peaks taller than 23,000 feet.
The South Asian nation’s reputation as a climbing mecca helped attract 800,000 foreign visitors in 2012, according to government data. It generated 39 billion Nepali rupees ($395 million) in 2013, accounting for about 4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council.
The Annapurna disaster occurred after a group of trekkers attempted to descend a steep slope on the evening of Oct. 14, seeking to exit a pass before a blizzard intensified, said Prakash Adhikari, chief executive of Himalayan Rescue Association, a non-profit organization that provides medical support to trekkers.
Unable to Walk
They were climbing down from Thorong La, a pass located about 18,000 feet (5,486 meters) above sea level, to a place called Muktinath at 12,000 feet, when heavy snowfall and a resulting avalanche blocked their path, Adhikari said.
“Many people got stuck as they were unable to walk any further,” Adhikari, whose organization is also involved in the rescue operations, said in an interview.
A smaller group of about 24 people who chose to stay on the pass and take shelter in a shack during the blizzard, survived, the trekking association’s Pant said. Those and another set of about 50 people trapped near a lake, are the two pockets of survivors that the rescuers are evacuating, he said.
“The only way to get them out is by helicopter so we are flying sorties now with the army,” Pant said. “There is hardly any food there, so the helicopters are dropping packaged noodles for them.”
Frostbitten Survivors
About 170 people have been rescued so far, Pant said today. Several of the survivors found yesterday had frostbite and were admitted to hospitals in the capital Kathmandu, his association said on its Twitter Inc. feed.
The 128-mile (205-kilometer) horseshoe-shaped trek is one of the most popular in Nepal and draws almost 100,000 people each year, from experienced climbers to novices, according to Pant. One reason for the popularity is budget climbers can complete the trek for less than $500, according to backpacker.com.
Some independent trekkers without a licensed guide are so far unaccounted for, Pant said.
The freak blizzard was thought to be caused by a cyclone that hit India’s southeastern coast last week, the Weather Channel reported, citing forecasters...
...The Israeli foreign ministry said yesterday that three of its citizens had died.
Authorities are also scouring the area for bodies of an unknown number of missing hikers. Search and rescue dogs are expected to be brought in to sniff out remains buried in the snow, which is 6 feet deep in some places, Gangaram Pant, chief executive officer of the association, said today by telephone.
Citizens from Israel, Canada, Vietnam and India are among the dead, along with at least 11 Nepali guides, porters and local shepherds, who were caught by surprise by the freak snowstorm, Pant said. Unlike Mount Everest, the Annapurna circuit is cheaper and a relatively easier trek that attracts amateurs who may not be trained to trek in adverse weather, worsening the death toll, according to Pant.
“It was a sudden snowstorm that came with no warning,” said Pant, whose organization is among agencies engaged in the rescue operations. “This is the worst mountaineering accident in our history as far as I can remember.”
The disaster is the second major trekking catastrophe in the country this year, and highlights the risks taken by adventure-seekers and Sherpas who take clients up some of the world’s most treacherous slopes. In April, an avalanche on the deadly Khumbu icefall on Mount Everest claimed the lives of as many as 16 Sherpas, who were preparing the route for a foreign expedition.
Climbing Mecca
The section of the Himalayas where this week’s accident occurred includes deep gorges, picturesque valleys, and 14 peaks taller than 23,000 feet.
The South Asian nation’s reputation as a climbing mecca helped attract 800,000 foreign visitors in 2012, according to government data. It generated 39 billion Nepali rupees ($395 million) in 2013, accounting for about 4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council.
The Annapurna disaster occurred after a group of trekkers attempted to descend a steep slope on the evening of Oct. 14, seeking to exit a pass before a blizzard intensified, said Prakash Adhikari, chief executive of Himalayan Rescue Association, a non-profit organization that provides medical support to trekkers.
Unable to Walk
They were climbing down from Thorong La, a pass located about 18,000 feet (5,486 meters) above sea level, to a place called Muktinath at 12,000 feet, when heavy snowfall and a resulting avalanche blocked their path, Adhikari said.
“Many people got stuck as they were unable to walk any further,” Adhikari, whose organization is also involved in the rescue operations, said in an interview.
A smaller group of about 24 people who chose to stay on the pass and take shelter in a shack during the blizzard, survived, the trekking association’s Pant said. Those and another set of about 50 people trapped near a lake, are the two pockets of survivors that the rescuers are evacuating, he said.
“The only way to get them out is by helicopter so we are flying sorties now with the army,” Pant said. “There is hardly any food there, so the helicopters are dropping packaged noodles for them.”
Frostbitten Survivors
About 170 people have been rescued so far, Pant said today. Several of the survivors found yesterday had frostbite and were admitted to hospitals in the capital Kathmandu, his association said on its Twitter Inc. feed.
The 128-mile (205-kilometer) horseshoe-shaped trek is one of the most popular in Nepal and draws almost 100,000 people each year, from experienced climbers to novices, according to Pant. One reason for the popularity is budget climbers can complete the trek for less than $500, according to backpacker.com.
Some independent trekkers without a licensed guide are so far unaccounted for, Pant said.
The freak blizzard was thought to be caused by a cyclone that hit India’s southeastern coast last week, the Weather Channel reported, citing forecasters...
...The Israeli foreign ministry said yesterday that three of its citizens had died.
thør
Karhu-er
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Alaska Range avalanche sweeps experienced skier to his death
"Looking back on it now, Hopper said Monday with a sigh, the two men -- who had both taken avalanche training courses -- missed a key warning sign about the avalanche danger. "
"Looking back on it now, Hopper said Monday with a sigh, the two men -- who had both taken avalanche training courses -- missed a key warning sign about the avalanche danger. "
SuprSalor
Literotica Guru
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thør
Karhu-er
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thør
Karhu-er
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Looking down on the summit. See the climbers?
thør
Karhu-er
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