in a jolly mood, it was a sunny day here and the winter is has been rather warm. we have temperatures in ukraine, above 10 degrees celsius. so it's, it's not such a huge problem, or at least in these days, or during the now the, the 1st days of this year did have a, is roman con to rank of reporting from here, from and thank you so much. you're up to date on dw news up next, close up joins a specialist avalanche teams in the austrian alps. i'm marian evans team from me and the entire news team. thanks for watching. i just got who uses the thoughts they will, grey you ah

millions of visitors descend on the else every winter, including a growing number of free riding fans who like to go off pieced in search of deep powder with the fun can quickly take a dangerous ton if the snow breaks loose from the slope and starts to hazel down hill, these austrian avalanche blasters risk their lives to ensure the slaves are safe. yogi, this is always a risk, but we try to reduce that risk as much as possible getting over there to minutes. let's go with

a need. see zach managers the slopes of the kitchen, han mountain insults back again. morgan, honey and his team start work at 6 30 in the morning. it's been snowing for the last few hours on the kitchen, han strong winds. there's a high risk, an avalanche could occur. so the team is going to trigger a blast. he set off a series of controlled avalanches over his door shut. see how it looks more from wood, or is that my guess is that on a day like this, there will be more to do at a high altitude. it's extremely cold today at the top. it'll be minus 18 minus 19 degrees. exciting a good day for some explosions. we've got real winter weather today. if they're going to rip according to the weather forecast, there's likely to be as much as 50 centimeters of fresh snow. about half of it has

already fallen books, everything to 20 centimeters or cold powder slope is minus 13 degrees. now don't differ. every minute counts. latina has 2 hours to make sure the glaciers ski resorts 60 kilometers of pieced are safe before the crafts start to arrive. they work and pass. 25 year old krista bind shop is the youngest and a new addition to the team. jo, thermals and of yours bring. we're packing the explosives. we're about to head out to trigger some avalanches. delusional detonators and explosives are always handled separately. well, i've been, i'll carry the explosives in my backpack and renee will carry the detonators. i will be going out together. almost none of the lemon commencement will differ. was likely to doesn't mean that ash this bag has the detonators in it or not over here . once we're on site, we ignite them and get the fuse burning through. sure,

it is august to me as long moments warm and then we have 2 minutes until the decent aids before midnight. so it's going farmer aah! haa kirk smith and i grew up in this world. what the, what my father was a piece manager here and i've always been fascinated by it all. these are what's the skiing, the mountain and avalanche blasting the most of it's my dream johnson that has up to say right on the roof. i have no way. i can handle, this is where things start to get dangerous. those these, the, these, the path goes along there with the snug ramirez before they put there before the past. turns off. don't go fur, i will. okay. it will make tumble on on module. yes. bar coleman. so briefly, so powdery penny and kristof have to be extremely careful. a

slab of snow could break off at any time on the steep slopes and sweep them away. at the top of the piece, they placed the 2 and a half kilogram plastic explosive on a wooden frame. it's situated one and a half meters above the fresh snow covered to maximize the impact of the explosion . once the fuse is burning, they have to evacuate as quickly as possible. i just by get nobody on the slope. but then about one and a half minutes, there will be an explosion if i wanted a minute let us do. she told me that there was no cavalry is

the shipper that was it of the beast. the piece is clear. that security let's keep moving. ah, the controlled avalanche, they trigger it has reduced the risk of a more serious one. the peace is now safe. meanwhile emmanuel and falls gung a hard at work further up the slope. ah, it's from a to me as the truthful we're about to trigger an explosion on the central slope. that's always high risk because it's pretty steep and it's where the kids always play. but today the dense snow flurries are making it difficult to see again, but the lift that soon and the glacier area. you can only get your bearings by looking for the ski lifts. otherwise it's just a wall of white. it's snowing and it's windy. i had been but i can just about make out the ski lift station so that tells me where i am doing. and i couldn't image

you bit of at the indian, but he gets off. i'll go prepare the explosives on deck and he wants detonated the slope is secured. jeff, this is one of the most critical slips in the whole ski area. there's a play area for children below my name in the lloyds hills, mondays of the vin meats when the wind blows over the rocks directly from the north where it's settled on this and the snow drifts can be dangerous on business, mar, primary objective is making sure the slopes are safe alice of these procedures. nothing has attached the explosive to a line. that way he can precisely position the explosive on the slope and determine exactly where it will go off. no, ma'am. is allowed him got the

1st explosive is in position kind of out in about one and a half minutes. it'll detonate the explosion. can be felt 50 meters away. nice one. every good. the explosion triggered a controlled avenue launch. the service team will clear away the masses of snow and then open the slopes and the play area to the public. in austria alone, they were more than 100 avalanche accidents in 2021. 14 people were killed and backed lie. i shall research his avalanches at the department for natural has it's in spoken today. his english 2 by valley investigating the destructive forces of avalanches at high mark gotten on for him. pest failed because he's out his field. i. so this protective structure here is the so called snow catcher. no catcher. there's a power lunches coming this way will end up here. i mean, is fish fun?

levina valve clocked out at all with her mom distorts. ponder light comes from up there. hurdles down home have all the and hits the snow. catcher, embalming fitted the structure with several senses that recalled the impact of the avalon shaft. alf tyson? maybe levina metabolic control, yet? oh, oh, this is the perfect testing ground for the reset. every year. huge masses of snow tumble more than 700 meters down the mountainside directly into the safety net. i love you now. i've been famous up on one of our sensors was destroyed and i have a lunch. we've replaced it and i want to test it today to make sure it provides accurate values. fisher selling the sal her to correct about me for the snow catches to le prototype. numerous senses are installed along its supports and steel cables. when an avalanche hits the senses, provide important data and insights into how people can best be protected without

resides when i'm death, give people my so we're in the test area and we have 2 goals. how book we want to see how the structure reacts to the avalanche then, and how the structure affect the c avalon shine flu alfie levina? by mouth, banana level, and it's a wall example. and that wall holds our 27th stant health and the avalanche levied flows over the top of its rivers, facing beside, excited for by gets compacted to that problem. yet about what happens when an avalanche hits a flexible structure. alba, nit structure if knocked at so often and it's looked on install 2 cameras to record the impact of each avalanche until then, but so if pascals can flow through it and how fast they flow and how they redirected. is that something we want to study on the so what if the snow catch a pressure tie proves useful it could soon be used to protect buildings and roads

against avalanches. back on the kitchen han, the weather remains. the challenge be sure dreamed her. the result was because a very strong wind were about to trigger an explosion to secure the north slope. it's always good news is on the damage on us, but it's our job. there's half a meter of fresh snow on the avalanche trail. north flight garage miss ne smith, when there's heavy snow it can get on really exhausting. ah, as he got mad, i imagine some people envy us. banana the joy, especially at 7 in the morning when the sun is shining, the shad you get to be the 1st on the slopes which have just been freshly groomed. but there's been much, at least some people would probably pay a lot of money for that on this. and so that's one of the perks of the job that if what they but of course it also has its downside, really care that a cat like having to be out in the bad weather to day the head that the trying to secure the ski areas and prevent avalanches to see jim. i will be glad to show you

that my partner gets nervous in the mornings. brooks in the home by 10 o'clock, she'll be asking if i am okay. and if everything worked out, my parents are more relaxed with lynch bones. all part of you definitely can't get stressed when you're an avalanche blaster, but you do have to make quick getaways for those who have to wait until the detonator. yoga is this. i mean, there's always a rest of it, but we try to reduce that risk as much as possible. mm hm. would they also, because of all, don't, will account for each other up and make sure that things run smoothly within the t, off discounts. if one of the portland maine on the orbit, only a top layer came off, which of us that worked more or less, we shifted the snow in every major ski resort in austria, avalanche blast as make sure it's safe from the slopes. they especially trained by

experts in how to deploy explosives. was that oh nobody knew? thank god we didn't have these masses of snow on the slopes today, and all it is, this is how much it snowed since yesterday. this isn't why it's hot at the bottom and as fresh snow on top did on this is the fracture line where it breaks off. it was all for is cut what is on are in $400.00. if someone headed down the slope at exactly that angle, that's where it would break off, but it's no longer loose. no, it's more like a slab hollow came out is a short video shaped of flats like that one or a frequent cools have avalanches. and some of our because our explosives bunker them. okay. when the social is this heavy honey and his colleagues trigger explosions every day on average, they need $1.00 to $2.00 tons of explosives per season. it's

about $830.00. the 1st ski is and snowboard is arriving almost all the ski lifts and slopes on the kitchen. han open, thanks to the avalanche blast is everywhere in the alps, blasting teams. ensure the mountain sides are safe. the paths known valley into roll. angles about glass shall regularly holds avalanche training courses with skiers. and snowboard is who like to go off piece time when he knocked in the flat depending on how extensive and stable the loose layer is. it might break along the fracture lines on some common and unstable layer will collapse with his walks and the slab might start to move on to the con, the sponsors may fit into vague and common when we talked to,

the weak layer is spread over wide area that may trigger the slow slab of shape that common churn and all have a nice evening and see you tomorrow. at 8459, i will need him to note while we want to avoid an avalanche emergency, we don't want to have to go looking for the buried the riotous. but if it does happen, we need to know exactly what to do. and that's what we're going to review tomorrow . league focused on ian on can out. is that more? which question? ah, anyone crossing this to rein needs a functioning avalanche transceiver. ok. as that. okay. come on down. log some like summer release early. now. yes, that's right. them for you, hopefully if i've got the clive are good, but next on like the video goes nesa l fire. this is an avalanche transceiver. i think it has 2 functions default. so a transmitter function and a search function,

you're adding this off right now the search function is activated and that does anything in the display. it means it's receiving a signal from somewhere here, i'm signal and thanked. nod, severe, nod it closer. but grace gets toby a classic called bully. i've checked that the groups avalanche trends. he was a working him at my devices receiving properly am hogan then what i've made sure that every one has the device turned on it. so we've taken the necessary safety precautions and we can set off from it. this is if i don't become non fat insulin again, with meanwhile at the top of the kit stein, han, honey and christopher are making their way to one of the most dangerous parts of the mountain.

the slope to the right of the tracks is the steep one. if they were to full they'd be unlikely to survive. handling the explosives in the snow, flurries and temperatures of minus 20 degrees requires utmost concentration. ah, it's a slow. it's over 2 minutes. so let's go keep moving, the dish of is let shifted things of busy. so as i neglect vicky the stones look wild us with redone lids, head down to the of the slope is now safe, at least for the time being. if it keeps snowing can a might have to close the peace below. the other team is still busy. this is,

it's on the la that's the north slow. so that's where we'll trigger the next flight runs kiana. i might get plaza despite the risk of avalanches. the slope is popular among free right is much to the frustration of the teen. some snow sports enthusiasts are reckless and the avalanche blast is risk their lives, making sure the terrain is safe for them. oh, in these conditions it's hard to tell if the artificial avalanche was effective in my law for this august of in over the course of the day, the wind can scatter the snow. so even if we've triggered an explosion, the snow can pile up against over them was washed in or fast, so you have to keep doing control runs. gosh, and keep an eye on the situation. if you look at that area so that we're done here, will had now to the kids lips station it off at the evidence training course,

it's time for the most important lesson. locating a person buried under sna mcconick to allah get it. we can turn off our devices now, why we just wonder my switched on gaming and stick it in a backpack and bury it up there somewhere. go. ah, that that contains an active avalanche, chauncey that the sign, it's the name form. well, the location where the person who was buried was last seen to sell fire escape take out your avalon transceiver and start searching with the saw him. he had 143012, but no 1000 down. came back when the when the displays below yet re you're nearly their london fluke. cy, common will ends at 2.0182.316 times com. i'm 1 point one common 1.0. i for one, hey, one thought and these, and this is where i measure the lowest value 1.0 minority next anger

backlash. our search is the area with the prob, someone. his buried in an avalanche needs to be rescued within about 15 minutes after that their chances of survival drop rapidly market mit. mit combined ether stelis point someone tends to ours is but more of a job. the person's eye. it is algae is a matter of life and death taken, salgado furniture, you can be worried about mine a stab wounds as a dog. so don't be too gentle to meet me. find the spartan and push. i'm stations on and films hunt fact films on fact. so don't make sense to form the sounding. now i'm noticing that i pregnant going in quite as far as some resistance. and if that means remove your hands. ok prob stays in place and decent plots for the 1st time. you now have is a co contact with the person who's buried. halligan contact some for certain

time is running out every minute. can't miss the fact that the sign itself and cope. this is the head best best case scenario is on his responsive economy. he can talk on this, this as to my letter. so now i can call the mountain rescue services and give the all clear on and talk on past days. ok. this concept was me. it's mark. what we've just done is absolutely possible when somebody's been buried under as much as one and a half meters of snow for up to 15 minutes, said stubblefield. oh, only if you know exactly what you have to do is i'd soon escape the euroleague most was. are there any questions? gift that's all because now it's your turn, but yet sad to hear the on the devastation, avalanches can wreak was on full display. on february 23rd 1999 in the small town

of god to into roll the gross, the shadow invalid, greatest destruction was about were the highest point of his wallace phone cut off on the somalis. back until march, there was maoris. gotcha. at the time, ham on hoopa was a member of the local council. we had feeling i'll do it in an uncle to it of all he like many locals. i was in crisis mode altos and had really drove home. what it means to be a responsibility of high st. fontose, stagnant devices? no guns. can i remember it? very well. i dish incubating the i was at my desk. at this times the avalanche hit while i was working together in order for the snow, settled on the windows of all the houses in the village. she saw it went dark. the katy and every one realised that had been an avalanche that don't live on. we'll die, ms. thompson. when this done give was yet the emergency services went out immediately . i strive to see if we were able to start the search operation. 10 minutes after the avalanche head of it's amy,

not not levine. it i guess she'll meet them. so high that's beginning, got some info to them. i said that if i spoke to the mayor on the phone and an hour later, we knew many people were missing. he did light up, we were mid search out there that i, sad news began filtering him. don't answer nath rowdy, but i mustn't forget that a lot of people were also rescued as at feet lights out latent good for a total of $38.00 people died and one of the worst avalanche disasters in the elf's in recent history. numerous houses were also destroyed. the massive avalanche hurtled 1000 meters down the mountain, sallied. it says it on that lovey, nevada, they saw the avalanche caused such devastation because nobody expected one to occur on such a massive scale. and i like if i knew the lands and recalculations were made for high risk areas, not justin got tied up in godson. i had led to

a rethink everywhere on the alps region as my they saw him night, but aches and so and gotcha. these protective walls were built that same year. a year later, the steel snow breeches were erected on the mountain. these were bus protective fences found throughout the elves prevent large accumulations of snow, known as cornices, from breaking off mountain riches. peace, safety and austria. ski results came under increasing scrutiny in the wake of the car to disaster. more and more fully automatic blasting moths are being installed on high risk slopes. up to 12 explosive charges fit into the magazines. they triggered by the push of a button and explode a few meters above the snow pack. on

the kid steinhoff, one of the blasting masts has been malfunctioning with. i've got needs to find out what's gone wrong. through the syllabus feels athena magazines, are computer controlled in all of my other activated in response to pressure governmental involve clicked on will open this up to check if everything's okay in there. if it's isn't walk with some of the chords might have gotten tangled up or something might be jammed with getting this new fuel for her to dora didn't work for clean thought. okay,

just okay, are these are the containers on the charl take a quick look though as fast. okay. yeah, it's okay. i'm on the mass can be used to morrow in the van more. everything's all right. as alice goes to morrow's focused shows more heavy snow on the kitchen horn back to the avalanche training course. it's now the participants tend to practice locating an avalanche victim. will they find the backpack with the avalon chance either gather i i'm ready with is that i but what's the value on the display? like m r 2.7? be soon if i you close it. i'm close starting here as right now. homing in. that

should i go forward on? yeah, i know people on police just above the ground, i think a bit further. 2.9, you're closer woocommerce. yeah, 0.4, woocommerce 0.70.5 here was 0.4, the lowest value. okay. good. well, oh no, my probes in my backpack in the u. back at all times like this, it's degrees hold the last section of the thought negative. prob is a bit like a toothpick. i thought, i don't know if you going deep. the pro can bend in all directions already. a child thought ask what's my play? i love replied grace with both hands it. oh, here it is. okay, so now i start digging right. well, i'll pull that up as thought it takes

a lot of practice. time of i'm going to practice again at home to make sure i've really got it sooner than that. and you have to bear in mind you might be panicking after an avalanche muscle focused. you need to have it down pat. otherwise you just forget it. even if it looks easy, i guess what you need to follow each of the steps lead. i'm not even used to practicing ones isn't enough. if you need to be able to do it in your sleep. now as taught in an emergency, the person buried in the avalon just doesn't have much time before they die. the long he take like the less likely they are to survive pow, he get a quote. so even an extreme situations, you need to act fast. oh, he can't hesitate. that's hilalem with jesus isn't a problem with have all the will from them kind of this time with a happy outcome. yeah, thank on the get started on, there is no a level 3 avalanche warning. only half of the slabs are open, but thanks to him

a and his team. it's safe. even if to day there are only about $300.00 guests out and about. rather than the usual 10000 eyes of boxes proposed. it's great that visitors can ski with peace of mind, things to ask him to through knowing they're happy is what motivates me is what does nothing better or sweetness? and for me personally dakshina sitting in the office all day would be an absolute nightmare for oh, oh oh oh the lie, diaz is on its way to bring you more conservation. how do we make cities greener and we protect habitat? we can make a different global ideas, environmental series in global 3000 on d,

w, and online. hey guys with abilene shar, my welcome to my podcast, love the matter that i and by the lever teeth influences and experts to talk about all playing loud thanks from dating again today. nothing's been left the fast, all these things and more and then you know, season of the plot can make sure to tune and wherever you get your pot passed and join the conversation because you know it who love mattered. mm ah this week on world stories in afghanistan, female doctors are urgently needed. see horses in portugal are in danger. we.