How often do you hear about avalanches when climbers are on the Himalayan mountains?
The Himalayas are well-known for the occurrence of landslides and avalanches, especially during the winter season. That's the reason why some routes or passes are closed during the months of November to February. In a way, this can help protect the trekkers from sudden landslides and avalanches due to bad weather. Particularly, it's the
Western Himalayas that are more prone to avalanches namely:
- Jammu and Kashmir - Higher altitude areas of Kashmir and Gurez Valleys, Kargil and Ladakh.
- Himachal Pradesh - Areas of Chamba, Kullu, Spiti and Kinnaur.
- West of Uttar Pradesh - Higher parts of Tehri Garhwal and Chamoli.
We can further divide these
avalanche prone areas into:
- The Red Zone - This is the most dangerous zone for avalanches. This area has the most number of avalanches and have an impact pressure of 3 tonnes per square metre.
- The Blue Zone - The avalanche force is lesser here at less than 3 tonnes per square metre. Residents can live in the area but have to vacate immediately upon warning.
- The Yellow Zone - Avalanches do happen in this zone but rarely.
Avalanches can occur because of
two reasons:
- Prime Factors - This can be further divided to Topographic and Vegetation factors. Topographic factors include the shape, inclination, orientation and location of the slope. Vegetation factors include vegetation cover, height of trees and thickness of vegetation.
- Exciting Factors - This can be divided into Weather and Other factors. Weather may include snowfall, snow thickness, wind velocity and temperature. Other factors like vibrations due to earthquakes or activities can also aggravate an avalanche.
Now, let's look at the
frequency of the occurrence of avalanches in India:
- February 2016 - In Siachen in Kashmir, about 10 soldiers were buried in an avalanche.
- February 2005 - In Kashmir, an avalanche caused chaos and deaths in several villages in the region. About 278 people were found dead.
- September 1995 - In Himachal Pradesh, an avalanche came down and later melted into flood.
- March 1991 - In Himachal Pradesh, Tinku avalanche happens every year. But during that year, the roads were blocked for over 40 days because of the avalanche.
- March 1988 - In Kashmir, an avalanche killed about 70 people and disrupted communication lines.
- March 1979 - In Lahaul, an avalanche killed 237 people and disrupted communication lines.
As you can see, many of these occurrences happened unexpectedly and not really to trekkers. Yes, there were instances of avalanches that occurred but it's mostly in Nepal, as per researching on the topic. We cannot dismiss the risk of avalanches still despite this. It's a good thing that weather reports are accurate and these roads and passes are blocked whenever there are harsh snowfalls or temperatures.
Is it safe enough to go mountain climbing without worrying about an life threatening avalanche?
As I've said, there's still that risk. However, to minimise the risk, always abide by the rules set by the authorities. Check the weather report before going through with your trek. If you can, hire a guide with you as they know the trails better. Avoid the winter season as much as you can and also the post-winter season when the snow and ice are melting still. The monsoon season isn't a good time to trek as well as avalanches can also happen in this time.
I hope this helps!