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November 20, 2000 (INB) --
Avalanches that have already claimed victims before the opening of the 2000 ski season highlight the need for more avalanche awareness and education. As the Cyberspace Snow and Avalanche Center begins its sixth season of award-winning service to skiers, climbers and backcountry travelers, director Jim Frankenfield announced record fatalities for 1999-2000 and the new season's first incidents in California, Alaska, Switzerland and Canada. North America again set a new record in the 1999-2000 season, with 34 fatalities including a dozen in Canada. Avalanche victims included 17 skiers, six snowmobilers, three climbers, three snowboarders and six others including hikers, snowshoers and an Alaska highway maintenance worker.

This month, two backcountry skiers were swept away by an early-season slide at Mammoth Mountain, California, and an Anchorage climber had to be helicoptered to a hospital after being critically injured on Flattop Mountain in Alaska. A German film producer and former national ski team member was killed by an avalanche while scouting location sites for a new film near Lausanne, Switzerland. There were 33 avalanche fatalities reported in North America during the 1998-1999 season.

"All the people involved in these recent incidents were experienced," Frankenfield said, "but they apparently misread the signs that pointed to potential danger, or just weren't thinking winter yet." Newcomers as well as experienced skiers and backcountry travelers need to refresh their avalanche awareness skills and to double-check local conditions before setting out.

The site's education section offers a special section on fall and early winter hazards. This season, CSAC will introduce a new special newsletter in PDF format offering avalanche-related articles from around the world.

The CSAC home page was visited more than 180,000 times last year as the
Internet's foremost source of avalanche information. More than 2,000 other sites around the world offer links to CSAC. The site features updated sections on: Current Conditions, Avalanche Education, Downloadable PDF Information,
Incidents, Professional Resources, the CSAC Avalanche Store, CSAC Canada, and more.

The Center's online store sells avalanche safety equipment and educational materials. The CSAC site has been honored by the Encyclopaedia
Britannica and others for its content, public service and design including the prestigious Links2Go "Winter Sports" Award based on links to the site, the L.A. Times Pick Award, the Majon Web Select Award and many others.