Friday, 23 October 2026
International edition · English
Tag
Everything about safety on Altavia: 16 articles including news, guides, routes and features.
16 articles
Hidesuke Taneishi and Tetsu Hashimoto were attempting the first ascent of Gangapurna West (7,140 m), next to the Annapurna massif. Their last contact was on 15 October. A helicopter and a drone made it possible to find them on the south face.
At 78° north, Svalbard's main town is living Arctic warming first-hand: tap water unfit to drink, homes made uninhabitable by thawing permafrost, avalanches and tour guides changing their routes.
A wall of water more than 100 metres high swept through 60 kilometres of valley in seconds. Two months on, the UN's project services agency calls it one of the most destructive and deadliest climate-related disasters and urges rich countries to keep their promises.
In May 2025 a huge flow of ice, rock and mud almost completely destroyed the village of Blatten, in the Lötschental. A preventive evacuation avoided a far greater tragedy. We look at what happened and why it is a warning for the whole of the Alps.
After eight centuries of calm, the Reykjanes peninsula has been erupting since 2021 and, above all, since December 2023 near Grindavík. We explain the phenomenon and how to travel safely.
Not all dangerous mountains are dangerous for the same reason. Some kill with avalanches, others with altitude, unpredictable weather or because they look easier than they are. Fifteen summits and their reasons.
At 3,000 metres every breath carries around 30% less oxygen than at sea level. Your body reacts within minutes, adapts within days… and sometimes fails. This is what happens and what to do.
Seeing a wild wolf is a rare privilege. Wolves avoid people, but it is worth knowing how to behave: stay calm, do not run away and never try to get closer.
Running on trails is not road running with a different view: technique, pace and training all change. This is how to get into trail running without getting injured and enjoy it from day one.
Most bear encounters end with the animal walking away. But knowing what to do —and what not to do— makes all the difference. We explain it for the European brown bear and for North American species.
Your phone runs out of battery, the signal disappears or the GPS goes haywire in a deep valley. These are the navigation techniques that really work when technology fails.
Choosing a route that suits you, estimating times properly, checking the forecast and knowing when to turn back. Everything you need so your first mountain outing is the start of something, not a bad memory.
Summer storms in the mountains form quickly, but they give warning. We show you how to read the clouds, calculate the distance of lightning and get to the least exposed spot if it reaches you.
A wildfire can move faster than you can walk, especially uphill. Reading the wind and the terrain, raising the alarm early and choosing the right escape route can save lives.
Getting lost is not an emergency; what you do in the next few minutes can turn it into one. Stop, think, observe and plan. And do not be afraid to ask for help in time.
Running out of water ruins a hike; carrying twice what you need does too. Here is a practical guideline, how to adjust it to your situation and when you can trust natural water sources.
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