Gulmarg avalanche that killed 1 was ‘triggered by skiers’

Naseer Ganai

Gulmarg, February 23

Brian Newman, the snow safety officer with the J&K administration, today said the avalanche, which killed a foreign skier in the “non-ski” area of Gulmarg on Thursday, had been triggered by a group of skiers of which the deceased was a part. He said there has never been an avalanche death in the ski area and no one has ever died in the ski area of Gulmarg.

Newman, who is a snow forecaster with the Tourism Department, said the investigation into the incident had led to the conclusion that the avalanche was triggered by the eight skiers in the non-ski area of Gulmarg.

According to him, there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about avalanches. “Avalanches don’t strike. Avalanches are triggered. Around 90% of the time avalanches are triggered by the persons who are caught in the avalanche,” Newman told The Tribune.

“What usually happens is that local skiers, who have become ski guides, and foreigners, who are experienced in the sport with many of them international ski guides, prefer backcountry areas for skiing. They usually leave the ski area that is managed and go into the wild terrain. There is greater risk in these areas but they go there as they have skills to manage these risks responsibly,” Newman said.

He said if a group is moving on such a terrain, members should move one at a time as it will decrease the load on a snowpack. He said if they move one at a time and in case anyone triggers an avalanche, others can rescue him. “This goes in preparation for the responsible travel in this wild terrain,” he said.

In the latest mishap, there were eight people in one group who were on the slope, all at the same time, he pointed out.

“Our Thursday’s advisory about the avalanche was very accurate,” he added.

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