Avalanche Deaths

Many people die each year in avalanches, and it's not uncommon here in Europe to see stories of avalanche deaths on a regular basis throughout the winter. One particularly tragic story came from Italy has week, where 3 people were killed in an avalanche, then 4 of their would-be rescuers were killed as well. I'm short of time right now, but there is more to say on this subject.

Olympic Biathlon Contender

Biathlon is simply the greatest sport in the world and it goes straight to the heart of military mountaineering. It takes extraordinary skills, conditioning and zen-like concentration to go from flat-out sprint to stable shooting position in just seconds.

That's why I was very happy to see a recent article in the New York Times that says we may actually have a viable American medal contender in the next Winter Olympics.

The Norwegian Home Guard school includes a 30-kilometer military biathlon as one of the culminating events of it's Ski School. It's a bit different than what you see on Eurosport - no skinny skis and race guns there. When I went through in 1991, they were still on wooden skis (allegedly required by the Norwegian Constitution) and winterized H&K G3s. The instructors said it was a "man's race." Skol!