old conditions in central norway the race has been running since 1990 and as a part of the arctic world series which culminates in alaska and early march. that's all for now from you're watching news from berlin more news at the top of the hour but 1st a feature on the science of avalanches in our film documentary don't forget you can always get the latest news from d.w. dot com or follow us on twitter at g.w. news i'm way i'm good thanks for watching. it's all happening to children. who are linked to news from africa to the world your link to exception these stories and discussions continue and we'll come to see their views after coming program tonight from for an examination from the news it's easy to our website be deputed com smash africa join us on facebook and

d.-w. africa. the alps breathtaking panoramic views magical snow covered peaks and a magnetic pull for tourists but there's a hidden danger here too avalanches each year around $100.00 people lose their lives in the mountains. when hit social rubbish it's hard to imagine the devastating consequences of a natural disaster like an avalanche if you've never seen one of the forster truck on time was completely buried my brother you know kind everyone knows the statistics of what happens in the 1st 15 minutes determines whether you survive and we as fact the climate change affected in any of the avalanche in

a fundamental way right now we think that in the short term about say 20 years you might actually see a little bit more avalanches. in just seconds a peaceful snowy landscape can become a deadly catastrophe. avalanches destroy everything in their path and leave behind silence. across europe physicists engineers geologists statisticians historians and then draw logistics are studying these unique forces of nature to better understand and predict them. mountain guides rescue teams in avalanche warning services all rely on their research to save lives in the moment and in the future. because we never know exactly when an avalanche will occur but we do know that skiers snowboarders and hikers are often the cause. 90

percent of all avalanches are triggered by humans and in recent years researchers practitioners tourists and those living in the mountains have been facing yet another element of uncertainty the weather. is climate change impacting how avalanches are forms and when they occur. we spent an entire winter company with them on their search of how to regain control over the white death. avalanches can travel at speeds of up to 300 kilometers an hour they tear down trees destroy houses vehicles even entire ski resorts and they cost lives. indigenous mountain dwellers used to believe they were caused by witchcraft it was impossible to comprehend that nature alone could be so destructive. today despite

understanding how avalanches form we still can't stop them. more people will lose their lives to avalanches this winter. davos in december 'd the winters. port season in one of the alps most popular resorts has just begun. as the burst tourists arrive switzerland's institute for snow and avalanche research known as s l f launches its latest project engineer betty sylvia is examining the movement patterns of avalanches. and we have suspected chemical change to affect the dynamic of avalanche in a fundamental way so what we already saw is that what we already know this climate change is increasing temperature temperature are increasing also in the snow cover and we know that the property of there is no change a lot when they come close to

a degree and we expect more snow close to 0 degree a lower altitude in future a time so i went in and he's going to produce a lot of worm avelox t.v. we called also went out and took a team at the which is a kind of out of said he would be we know a few so we don't know much of this kind of avalanches. b.s.l. there has classified 5 types of avalanches one is a wet snow avalanche it starts with a slab of snow on loose no moving and often occurs without further triggering after rain or a short warm spell. it's caused by excess water in the top layer which weakens the lower layers of the snow pack. 10 percent of all victims lose their lives to this type of avalanche. so obvious colleague alex on have vine and researches the formation of avalanches and for the 1st time he's examining a potential link to climate change. and what i'm specifically interested in to know

how climate is affecting evidence is how it's going to change the likelihood that avalanches will release and to notice you have to look into the snow cover and look at how the weather affects the layering in the snow and we always have hypothesis that at the start of a new project or when we start to study something new. but you need those through to prove or disprove them and right now less than what we know is less know doesn't necessarily mean less evidence. because less than 0 could be more unstable snow. so right now we think that in the short term let's say 20 years you might actually see a little bit more evidence is in the long term however as it really warms up i think deafness see less of an answer.

there in the swiss canton ballet the test zone is some 500 kilometers from davos. automatic thermal cameras geo radars geophones and speedometers register every moment the recordings are regularly analyzed. the interesting feature of this slope this avalanche observation field is primarily its length it's 1200 meters long it gives us the chance to observe major avalanches that week classes catastrophic. monitors and controls the tests as head of security he regularly checks the systems in the shelter. the bunker is designed to withstand being buried in a novel it's an ingenious system.

'd will be observing the test zone throughout the winter in order to examine avalanches and their connection to changes in climate. the experiment can help very match the understand climate change so in the past their evidence i'm sat in only concentrated in study the movement of the avalanche without taking into account which snow was moving into the flow now we understood that if we understand the link between desnoyers and the movement of the avalanche of the. we have a voice very hard part of the battle to understand in france on climate change an avalanche because we expect there is not quote a warming napsylate when we know the link between does lower corner and the avalanche we know what doesn't mean a world may not from this of course for for the movement of the floor. the primary

goal of avalanche research is to understand up the inches so it can predict their occurrence and limit the damage they cause. even when not fatal avalanches can be disastrous and experiencing one can leave survivors traumatized a few years ago zoppot shots was buried in an avalanche while out hiking in snowshoes and alexander graham has avalanche count she's learning how to react if it should happen again. these tickets me or i need to know that you all have a shovel a probe and a vs device with you either the bike up or on sunday and then we can get started ilyse the cooks a frog and a quick question via phone or have any of you ever experienced an avalanche and i love you nick. sabath raises their hand she's embarking on a 2 day intensive course an avalanche safety with the other members of the group. returning to the mountain hasn't been easy. to.

bomb it's mine i'm going on when i was visiting the studio with my brother and my dad around 10 years ago and we had been snowshoeing were a couple of days on from up steve own the way back down we were hit by an avalanche all 3 of us were buried my brother managed to dig himself out and then he found my dad he was partially buried i was completely buried with it it was my brother who dug me out and so yes i've been meaning to do an avalanche safety course ever since then love includes the mom. what buried zoppot alive that day was a slab avalanche one of the most deadly avalanches responsible for 90 percent of all casualties all it takes is an uninterrupted layer of loose snow a slope that's at least 30 degrees and something to trigger the fault line. this

avalanche is around 50 meters wide and up to 200 meters long. the one that hit zob it was 180 meters wide and nearly 350 meters long. in the camp skiers and mountain tourists learn how to prepare for potential avalanche and what every winter sport enthusiasm should carry with them when exploring the mountain alexander lumas starts by discussing materials. the proper equipment can save lives. if. you get somebody out of an avalanche you're going to need some good gear. i want to get the best shot believe can of makes a huge difference. nobody should venture into the mountains without a shovel a detector and approach. the light metal rod helps locate victims buried beneath the snow. that's here this is an old fashioned pros and it still works.

out at least if you want a sheet is something we don't have much time. you have in the field so this one fits into your rucksack and once removed and shaken it's ready to use immediately was the not for hand it's a tough one that's. 90 percent of all avalanches are triggered by humans every winter sports enthusiasts need to be able to gauge whether a situation is safe and to know what to do if trouble strikes. there's no question that the risk of avalanches in the alps needs to be monitored closely. by joining forces regional teams hope to improve the warning systems spanning across europe's largest mountain range. the alps began to form over 130000000 years ago they now span 1200 kilometers across 7 different

countries. italy france switzerland. germany austria and slovenia a. month long in france is the tallest peak standing 4810 meters tall. some 13600000 people call the alps home every year 100000000 tourists descend on the world's largest ski area. despite boosting the local economy 100000000 tourists pose some major challenges when it comes to keeping residents seasonal workers and visitors safe. madi meyer is head of to rolls avalanche warning services every day he and his colleagues assess the snow conditions and identify potential hazards sounds. meyer has also observed a change in snow quality and the types of avalanches forming. there's

one of those 3 every winter is different from the last wasn't converse in the only thing we know for sure is that rainfall has been increasing over the years well. we've also observed an increase in the number of slab avalanches after multiple where a whole layer of snow slips away from the ground from the up your gut. is creating a snow profile like a cross-section of the snow cover. he's brought a magnifying glass to help them identify the so-called weak layer in this now. we have an infant we seem to have long periods of fine weather an autumn when it stays warm people wear t. shirts in october and november temperatures are in the mid twenty's and the ground doesn't freeze the borders when the 1st snow arrives in december around 30 to 40 centimeters schools on bloom ground and snow is

a great insulator that's why i need to work the so that 1st layer prevents the ground from freezing the surface area between the ground and snow is about 0 degrees it's damn glasses if there's grass beneath it the wet snow begins to slide off the grass ultimately leading to a slab avalanche and. he examines the snow conditions at different altitudes before rating the risk of an avalanche level one is low by this very high . the avalanche danger scale has been uniform across europe since 1993 so what has it would be my of discovery. how does he see the current situation in spock's mountains. as it was hard to for the most interesting thing for me today was estimating where the rain for line was it is going it's so important to know because the risk of an avalanche is much higher where it has rained been rain destroys the bonding between snow crystal sides with great the area below 1600

meters as risk level 3 which is considerable because the snow cover is very wet but i need above 600 meters or there has been some new snow but not enough to class is critical i'd rated risk level 2 which is moderate and still fits right. despite official risk levels and many winter sports enthusiasts see no reason to stop skiing or snowboarding. and when an avalanche is triggered they are often the culprits. the avalanche risk level is graded from one low to 5 extremely high interesting only the risk level where most incidents occur is level 3 considerable level 3 years is used for around a 3rd of the days in the winter season you get 2 thirds of all accidents happen during level 3 warnings as shows that people underestimate the dangers of an avalanche will feel the shits and.

it's january alec fun have fine and is accompanying 2 postgraduate students into the woods close to the institute. they want to examine how quickly a crack in the layers can spread. there's been a lot of snow this winter leaving perfect conditions for fast and back fads ph d. project. we're conducting an experiment on fracture propagation week a layer is always at the bottom. unseeing so we're going to saw into it and see how far it spreads and i till the end by that with some ending. the so-called propagation saw test looks at how quickly a break in the snow cover spreads. to collect all the data he needs that creates

a snow profile snow is not simply a physical state there are 17 types of snow and no 2 snowflakes are the same. fresh snow has a branched crystal structure that slowly disappears it becomes old snow which melts as soon as temperatures rise becoming wet snow. a snow profile is important to understand how the snow cover is constructed and that depends on the weather the snow cover keeps changing every time it snows a new layer is created essentially the snow cover told the story of winter this is snow from the start of the season and this is yesterday snow climate has a huge impact on the weather if the climate is changing then i'll weather will change too and that in turn has an impact on the structure of the snow cover the. final preparations pasty on marks the snow with

a dime so that the fracture will be visible. in stars cameras to record the experiment in slow motion. when you can start sawing though. the lower lower. the fracture along the length of the week layer of snow can be seen clearly after just a few seconds of songs. that have mechanics but i haven't ever done an experiment long enough to see the full extent of the break it in my. so hopefully this time we'll be able to see a quick break at the start which then continues to spread at a constant speed in the cat's house prior to one but some of the experiment needs to be long enough to observe a steady breaks being made by the space members katz's i hope we've captured it all this time you see how. late january for days now it's been snowing in davos and

further east in the alps. the lips are closed and the highest hazard warning has been issued. 22 people have already lost their lives to avalanches in switzerland and austria. there's been a powder snow avalanche this happens when a slab avalanche falls down a large slope and snow mixes with their. counter avalanches occur when the risk levels high and can travel at speeds of up to 300 kilometers an hour. other paths to the institute for snow and avalanche research are still being cleared alec and his postgraduate students set out. with these small devices help the researchers work out the speed at which avalanches form along the fracture line. cascade ocean and for us

it's all about how the break in the snow cover spreads and that's a wide ranging scale of tens or hundreds of meters which makes it difficult to test i mean that's why we have these accelerations senses we throw them into the field and the reverberation triggers a break in the week layer that spreads from opposition if it works the senses will record everything and we can work out the spread speed using the times and position but in space when the de very pleasing experiments are designed to give us a better understanding as to how a break in the snow cover spreads and the break is the crucial part without a break the avalanche wouldn't happen. the researchers next step is to trigger an avalanche on flat ground. the devices they toss out contain acceleration sensors. they jump around to create vibrations.

i was get that is it was a good one of a guy that got the whole slope just vibrated so we must have destroyed the weak layer beneath us causing the break to spread across the area here now we need to determine the characteristics of the snow cover and measure the exact position at each point create a snow profile and this device here will take exact measurements of the snow cover . to survive in the mountains it's vital that the writers snowshoers and cross-country skiers learn to assess the snow covered. nature gives us clues as to whether there's a risk of an avalanche and again 90 percent of all avalanches are triggered by

humans like sand obama is training the group to interpret conditions accurately show them my comp look at the expose their areas they start how steep the slope is finished as anything ring alarm bells. there are the. moments that we know that this direction is roughly south so these eastern slopes are bad news according to the avalanche reporter and there are a lot of stones and rocks visible so the slope must be steep probably over 40 degrees it's been pretty windy too judging by the size of the snow cornices up there. the parameters of it for me because there's way too much drift snow that to look at those cornices on. cornices are layers of densely packed snow that spell out danger on slopes prone to avalanches alexander romas training courses aim to lower the number of people who fall victim to avalanches. knowing

how to respond in an emergency could be the difference between life and death. participants learn how to use it then metal rod downs a probe to find buried victims. for this exercise one member of the group has volunteered to be buried beneath the snow. what does it feel like. the cold and tell it's cold and everything sounds muffled at them from a can't begin to imagine what it would feel like if all the snow was on top of me as it was terrifying the force it's ok like this but it must feel like you incased in cement one time comes and if someone above is with approach you know that help is on the way. i would be frightened that the space you have to breathe would collapse around into the system d. it will feel we're going to use the probe to practice digging someone out later if the answer was lost an asteroid will be lying here and you're going to attempt to

get around on the inside there you'll start from the other side up there because this would be where the avalanche has occurred let's all be timing you and i promise none of you will feel the cold at the end of this exit. size cut. the 1st things a bit learns is to differentiate between hitting something hard or finding a person beneath the snow. i think this is a case of practice makes perfect body you need to practice to get quicker and more confident. it's bringing back some difficult memories for me and. a catastrophic avalanche and to roll in austria also brings back painful memories to the village of god to us. on february 23rd 1990 4 pm of 400 meter wide slab of snow broke away from the tour only in ski resort as a crash down the mountain towards the village it split multiple times destroying

houses and burying over 50 people. the idea how i was doing avalanche reports that we and it hadn't been snowing nonstop for 3 weeks. and i knew that if it didn't stop it would cause problems and we could expect some major avalanches and vehicles in every major avalanches need a lot of snow and things just kept coming and were no committal i knew exactly what happened and that was the worst part is that they're feeling so helpless and how are less because you simply can't stop it and investment in the roads were already closed as they were covered in snow from previous avalanches so we couldn't evacuate people in the snow flakes with the size of sources as i was no way a helicopter could have got out there but there was nothing we could do that if i felt like i was waiting for something to happen and then unfortunately it did this here.

goes right it was horrifying you have to see it to believe it if you've never witnessed an avalanche it's high. to understand how destructive a natural disaster can be and the damage it can do force that. 31 people lost their lives that day miraculously 19 of those buried survived. but when i say need a fire inside some things are definitely improved since then and so on a plane just owns have been expanded meaning there are more areas that can't be built on one or only using special measures like take a walls and stuff a glazing war see how bad the main improvement has been how we manage avalanche warnings going so nowadays we can issue them much much sooner than for you know for

one and. every day really meyer checks the snow conditions when it comes to determining hazard levels austria's alpine regions work closely with italy game. yet it's the 1st collaboration of its kind worldwide across border multi-lingual avalanche report black hole southern to roll and trentino with a set of milestones we have one of the best systems in the world at the moment leaks. away winter sports enthusiasts often across national borders in pursuit of their hobby they don't care which country they're in it's the snow that counts. this is the 1st season avalanche reports are available online in a choice of languages. international avalanche warning services meet every 2 years to discuss whether any changes need to be made to the risk scale.

it's february an emergency exercise for 2 roles mountain rescue teams. these dogs are being trained to find people buried in an avalanche. well obviously you see it's they're still in training so the goal for the dogs is to find pull victims without our help so. over 61 avalanche and rescue dog teams work for to rose mountain rescue people 15 minutes that's the magic number around 60 to 90 percent of those buried in an avalanche make it out alive in the 1st 15 minutes after that things look bleak or. airspace can extend chances up to 90 minutes after 2 and a half hours the chance of survival is slim. as of yet we're usually called out once an avalanche has happened and it takes time

to scramble a helicopter and get the rescue chain moving one thing forget that direction and even in the best case scenario it takes about 20 minutes before we're on site with the dogs for all the tank and when data and everyone has heard of the 15 minute window that's central to survival as we were leaving when by the time we arrived with the dogs it's often too late for bait and which is why a volunteer basis rescue teams are essential to come on i think 14 year 3. dogs finely tuned sense of smell make them perfect but locating avalanche victims but it takes a lot of training and regular practice. to roles mountain rescue team has structured plans for their canine teams. and his voice airstrip this is phase one an open hole. the dogs have to locate their hands as it

was so obviously from the front the handlers take group boards with them like toys and the dogs need to find them independently so we call. it has to be fun like a game search box we don't put pressure. on the dogs. the next step for the dog is to learn how to dig out their handler and a stranger. finally they head for the mountain. we always that we've chosen 2 dogs for this task it's my home that should be enough it was the size of the search area and we have to assume that no other dogs are available at the moment. although the 1st 15 minutes are critical long before mountain rescue teams arrive speed is still

of the essence. the team trains regularly on emergency. as minus the flood as it was a very realistic rehearsal in my opinion which this team was under stress and you could tell. and we created the drama deliberately both for the alpine police but as well as for the head of the rescue mission i thought i'd slide the but i think there was some good work out there on the avalanche field as mine especially by the dogs based on those you know at the. winter sports enthusiasts often hold their lives to the commitment and expertise of mountain rescue teams. betty sylvia relies on the support of her colleagues for her research. her post

graduate student the shi'a keep woods is examining avalanche force and global. rebuild often does when it comes to the fast moving avalanches it's like the. a war i wouldn't start on for whom the faster you run into the world the more it hurts. him in love even in his discount warmest temperature avalanches are an interesting phenomenon here vinegar through that these speeds he would expect less falls off it up mesnick about the measurements we've taken don't confirm this it does this we're trying to work out why that is for students of history any moment. a phenomenon that scientists want to understand better using recordings from the test zone. adhesive even. this media was shot by a high speed camera installed on out 20 meter pylon and boundless yano way below

its record of the interaction between the launch any obstacles and that's part of the effect so she had a nice obstacles beetle all. in temperature and density lisa with the better today that. warm weather causes snow temperatures to rise snow becomes wetter and heavier leading to more force and slower avalanches. this increases the destructive power of the slipping snow masses. back to the rescue exercise an avalanche camp. yes i know how many of you are that 12345 it will be tight but the 5 of you

will have to manage your 6 member who is 6 feet beneath the snow somewhere. alexander who markets the group some final instructions they need to dig a cone shape around the victim to pull her out. so i mean i get ready. on your marks you go. even 5 rescuers struggled to dig out the victim in the crucial 15 minutes. ok poke a stop for a 2nd dive stop the clock. because you've been digging for 8 and a half minutes now and you've only noticed how uncoordinated you are you need coordination to work more efficiently aside. what looks like a great cardio workout can mean the difference between life and death.

finally the breakthrough. yet it's taken 5 people 15 minutes and 10 seconds to recover someone buried alive beneath the snow. another minute and the victim may not have been so lucky. how is are that feeling about the whole experience. was there. an issue some advice of some well i didn't expect to experience which honestly care on overwhelming emotions as it does is caught in yet. i was fine at the start but once this uncoordinated chaotic sense of panic spread that's in with now and recluse and i have to really pull myself together i'm wise enough to focus on off the cons and get through it. and you have a fair to both of these are good and. of right thing feeling to know

someone's buried down there and refutes to know what it's like definitely more intense than i imagined intensity as your ex had to have kept. in the words of o.t. my own theory is important but research ultimately serves just one purpose to save lives and to do that it's essential to understand the different types of avalanches in order to control them successfully. and there's one type that worries the head of to rolls warning services more than any other. glide snow avalanches the number of incidences on the rise. there cause not by one layer breaking away but the entire snow pack making them extremely dangerous even on short slopes they can gain incredible speeds and force high temperatures and late autumn prevent the earth

from freezing leaving the 1st snow to fall on warm ground snow acts as an insulator preventing the earth from freezing that creates the ideal sliding surface. as you say to be something these avalanches happen months till the end of winter right up until early may. and these are the ones that can cover roads and buildings and endangered villages or that you're fighting a fire the hardest type of avalanche to control because they cannot be artificially triggered is the explosions don't work if i threw an explosive in right then they would just create a hole and nothing else would happen you know a subsequent avalanche because 2 hours later. 2 weeks 2 months or never a glide snow avalanche can't be triggered artificially by explosives and he feels his. body meyer and his colleagues are examining the consistency of an avalanche that almost reached the road to the village could type in

a worst case scenario the village would be completely cut off from the outside world. lemon and to soon as you spot the 1st signs so-called fish mouths where a break has appeared in the snow cover you know. so there's a high risk of a glide snow avalanche you need to stay off the slopes and make sure you're not a neat and he breaks recent of aches and. since a glide avalanche takes the entire snow pack with it digging through to the victims at barry's takes much longer. often too long. as he finds its way off the last 9 states and since there have been some tragic cases but some happy endings to so if you need to learn to handle some of the things you see a meeting called common best movie marley schoolhouse bit of. you always become a lot of the camaraderie can help all time alone or with the dog with your family

of course but if you want to from the limited yeah you get not only don't know how we deal with it well we're never alone it seems we work as a team and sometimes just talking to the others after a rescue can help you process what's happening is doing what you've been through i think on. the avalanche camp is over. what have the participants learned. in the. being in the snow definitely outcomes. and that hopefully of the now if i make this you think of a few you know end up i want to try and enjoy the next link to holiday instead of constantly worrying time around here.

at the institute for snow and avalanche research the scientists are making some of their 1st cautious forecasts for the years ahead. severe weather conditions are what worry alec most. actually that's what climate scenarios say is that although we will have more. more likely bigger snow storms or more intense no storms the time between the snow storms so that the time where the weather is good well also lasts longer so will have longer dry periods between does not stop and it's exactly during those dry periods that is weak players for so if we actually had. and widespread weeks earlier also higher up in the mountains and then this big snowstorm then result could have been even more catastrophic.

betty sivia considers rising temperatures as a threat. that was if i don't. think the if we've seen a lot of light snow avalanches in ballet did i see the back. when gazing at me near the beginning of the deadly scenes it was fear then unusual because the hunt to predict what's going now we don't really know what. you know about your income. this winter too has cost more lives avalanches remain a threat. we now know that they were impacted by our changing climate. and it's these changes that pose tough new challenges for scientists in the foreseeable future.

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