The White Death Page #3

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country get some basic survival gear

and some basic survival knowledge

and just try and be prepared for

some of the events that can happen.

Such events have been happening

for thousands of years

and no one has experienced a longer

or more grievous struggle

with the avalanche

than the stalwart people

of the Alps.

In the Great Saint Bernard Pass

sits a hospice founded

in the 11th century to aid

and protect weary travelers.

Today the hospice

still welcomes those

who come to visit the ancestral home

of the legendary Saint Bernard.

In earlier times,

both the monks and their dogs

quickly responded to travelers

in distress.

With their keen sense of smell

and massive strength,

nothing could stop

the noble Saint Bernard

from locating avalanche victims.

During the several centuries

that the Saint Bernards served

at the hospice

more than 2000 lives were saved.

But the legendary brandy keg

never actually hung around

the Saint Bernard's neck.

The tradition originated with

beginning with Sir Edwin Landseer.

The last thing a hypothermia victim

needs is brandy.

In World War I,

the Alps saw

a more sinister response

to the danger of the avalanche.

When Austrian and

Italian armies met here,

each side deliberately triggered

deadly snow slides upon the other.

An estimated 40,000 men were lost

in this lethal use of nature.

Avalanches are intentionally

triggered today...

but for

an entirely different reason.

Fire in the hole!

Artillery and explosives are used

in preemptive strikes,

releasing potential avalanches,

preparing the mountains

for another kind of invasion

Each morning before skiers

hit the slopes

the ski patrol hits them first,

to make them safe.

But for some a tamed mountain

is not a sufficient challenge.

Extreme skiers seek remote places

where the powder is fresh and alive.

In 1996, three of them were shooting

an adventure film

that almost ended in disaster.

Miraculously, they all survived.

Others filming the glory

of unbounded snow sports

have pushed the margin

of safety a little too far...

These experts escaped

with their lives

but near ski resorts,

those caught in unsafe

areas can find themselves

in trouble with the law.

Here in Loveland Colorado,

instead of going to jail

this avalanche

offender chose to be buried alive.

I'm kinda scared right now actually

to tell you the truth.

Buried beneath the snow for up

to half an hour,

he'll have plenty of time

to identify with avalanche victims

And retrieving him is great training

for the dogs.

Angel search. That's good.

Easily the furriest and friendliest

part of any rescue effort,

rescue dogs often arrive too late

to save lives

and end up being used

to recover bodies

Humans on the scene are usually

the only ones who can help in time.

Therefore avalanche safety schools

across the country teach

as many as possible the techniques

of rapid rescue.

Avalanche "victims"

are taught various

means of escape and survival,

such as using swimming motions

to stay on top of the slide

and creating a breathing space with

their hands before the snow hardens.

Radio beacons are a modern aid

to fast rescue.

A transmitter worn by a victim emits

a signal that others can home in on.

But the best defense remains

avoiding the avalanche altogether.

The danger is well known.

Warnings abound but sometimes

they are discounted or ignored.

On January 23, 1998,

a French Alpine guide broke

all the rules

as he led a group of teenage hikers

and their teachers

off of marked trails near Les Orres

in the Alps.

None of them were wearing beacons.

Some of the children slammed

into a grove of larch trees they had

just walked through.

Their bodies caught in branches

and wrapped around trunks.

More than 150 rescuers

combed the scene

in a heart breaking search

for survivors.

Yet it could have so

easily been avoided.

The group had discussed avalanches

and had even watched

a video illustrating the risks.

But when some of the children

questioned the wisdom

of hiking that day,

they were ignored.

The accident gripped the heart

of the nation.

Eleven died,

nine of them school children.

It was the worst avalanche disaster

to hit France in almost 30 years.

the Cascade Mountains of Washington,

disaster struck travelers who had

never expected to even touch snow.

Number 25, a Great Northern Railroad

passenger train

is followed by Number 27,

Great Northern's fast mail train.

Heavy winter storms

trigger avalanches

causing both to stop

just before the Cascade Tunnel.

On the following day

the tracks are finally cleared

and both trains

slowly steam through.

The trains are diverted

to a side track

outside the railroad town

of Wellington.

There they remain helpless.

Crews work to clear the tracks

but for each foot they clear

another falls

and the peaks above

are a looming white wall.

Without warning

an avalanche crashes down

from the mountains

destroying the cook shack

where passengers had eaten

the night before.

The tracks ahead and the tracks

behind are now completely blocked.

There is nowhere to go.

Five days pass.

Some passengers slog to Wellington

for food and comfort,

returning to the train to sleep.

A few risk the perilous trek

to the next town.

Everyone else remains.

Then on March 1st around 1:30 AM

the white death falls hard

from the mountain.

A slab a half mile long,

and twenty feet deep

surges over the tracks

Rescue workers follow trails of

blood in the snow to unearth bodies

Mothers, daughters, salesmen, sons,

lawyers, ranchers,

shepherds and miners crushed beyond

recognition in the frozen deluge.

The final toll is 96 dead,

with 22 survivors

This remains America's worst

avalanche disaster.

In Europe, the threat of

such tragedies has hovered over

Alpine residents for centuries.

Some homeowners fearing

what their ancestors

called the "avalanche beast"

have built barrier walls

for protection.

A 17th century church meets

the avalanche head on,

like a ship plowing through

a sea of snow.

One of the best protections

is the natural one.

Dense forests of trees can prevent

some avalanches

and slow others down.

Yet years of mindless deforestation

have left some towns hanging

precariously

on the edge of disaster.

Today as the slow process

of reforestation continues,

steel and concrete barriers do

the work of trees.

Although unsightly and expensive,

they offer some protection.

While the search for

better methods continues.

With their dense population

and mountainous landscape,

the islands of Japan are a

prime target for avalanche tragedy.

A devastating slide hit

near Niigata, in 1986.

It was one of the worst avalanches

to hit Japan since World War II.

This disastrous slide would provide

crucial data

for scientists in Japan.

Prompting Dr. Kouichi Nishimura

of the Institute

of Low Temperature Science

at Hokkaido University

to begin his research on avalanches.

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