Alps news stories on Newser

Avalanche Wipes Out French Ski Lift

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:02:00 CST

Skiers thought they were safe in their chair-lift perches as they watched a powerful avalanche rumble through a French ski resort near Grenoble—until snow began to bury the tips of their skis. No injuries were reported, but several skiers on higher ground were left dangling from lifts—and had...

Dutch Prince Caught in Avalanche May Not Wake Up

Kate Schwartz — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:00:05 CST

Sad news for the Netherlands: Dutch Prince Johan Friso, who got snowed under by an avalanche while skiing in the Austrian Alps last Friday, may never wake from his coma. At a press conference today, his doctor explained that Queen Beatrix's middle son suffered severe brain damage after being deprived...

Dutch Prince Survives Ski Avalanche

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:57:02 CST

Dutch Prince Johan Friso got snowed under by an avalanche while skiing and was seriously injured today. The 43-year-old son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was buried for 15 minutes before being rescued, reports the BBC . An avalanche beeper likely saved his life. The prince was vacationing in the...

French Alpine Glaciers Vanishing

Rob Quinn — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 CST

France's glaciers have lost more than a quarter of their area in the last 40 years, and the rate of retreat appears to be accelerating, researchers warn. The 600 or so glaciers in the French Alps covered some 145 square miles in the early '70s but that was down to...

Swiss Fear Vast Glacier Chunk Might Fall

Kevin Spak — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:07:11 CDT

Swiss authorities have blocked off hiking trails near the Giesen glacier in the Bernese Alps and sent a crisis team to monitor it, for fear that it’s about to shed a slab of ice the size of 12 football fields. A huge crevasse has been discovered in the glacier, and...

French Fight Erupts Over Marauding Wolves

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 03:26:58 CDT

Call it Yellowstone sur Seine. French shepherds are demanding the surging wolf population be culled following increasing sheep deaths by the growing packs of protected canines. Wolves are now roaming the Vosges Mountains on the Alsace-Lorraine border for the first time in 80 years. Some experts predict the wolves could...

6 Bodies Found in French Alps

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:32:06 CDT

A hiker discovered the bodies of six mountain climbers in France's Hautes-Alpes region today, the apparent victims of an accident yesterday. Mountain police based in Briancon said the bodies were discovered in a steep corridor at 8,858 feet, a day after the climbers left an overnight Alpine refuge. Police...

Cops Bust Contador... for No Bike Light

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:43:58 CDT

Even the pros can fall victim to a routine traffic stop: Tour de France champion Alberto Contador was pulled over by a French cop today for cycling down the Galibier pass in the Alps without lights. The officer told the three-time Tour champion that he needed to be visible on...

Austria Yanks Alpine Peaks Off Market

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:17:05 CDT

The hills are still alive for the public. Austria has decided to yank prime real estate off the market after residents screamed about the nation's plans to auction off two alpine peaks. "We have suspended the sale to evaluate alternative possibilities," said a spokesman for the agency that buys state...