Seminar on avalanche hazards

Press, 19 October 1976, Page 6

Seminar on avalanche hazards

A seminar to discuss the! avalanche hazard on New! Zealand mountains will bel< held in Christchurch next)I month. : Jointly convened by theii New Zealand Mountain Safety < Council and National Parks' !i Authority, the seminar is the,! first of its kind held in New Zealand. i Representatives of scien- I tific and mountaineering org-|l anisations will consider all] aspects of the avalanche problem, and attempt to coordinate research and observation. It is proposed to establish a committee for avalanche safety. This committee would start an avaianche-safety pro-, gramme and co-ordinate the study of specific aspects such: as forecasting, monitoring, warning systems and public education. One of the organisers ofl the seminar, Mr P. Dingwall,, scientific officer of the, National Parks’ Authority.! says that the avalanche haz-' ard in New Zealand increases] as more people use the! mountains in winter and spring. Since 1961, there have been, nine deaths and one injury! in seven separate avalanches! in the Mount Cook area, alone.

Mr Dingwall said the aval-, anche problem was mainly; confined to the South Island.' The North Island mountains' did not have such heavy! snowfalls and deep snowpacks.