Bushwalk Australia

In October 2014, a severe blizzard struck Nepal's Annapurna Circuit during peak trekking season. Hundreds of hikers were stranded and dozens died in one of the world's worst hiking disasters. An eyewitness shares his tale -

http://www.backpacker.com/survival/natu ... -blizzard/

Thanks for that, Wayno - very sobering, an excellent read. How is it that some still walk there in jeans?

Tortoise wrote:Thanks for that, Wayno - very sobering, an excellent read. How is it that some still walk there in jeans?

its on the backpackers circuit. backpackers with limited mountain experience... normally the weather is fine at that time of the year. and they get away with wearing minimal clothes because they get to accommodation for the night... they are totally ignorant of the risks,, see them all the time on the tongariro alpine crossing, dressed for a walk down the street... oblivious to the risks, ignoring the massive signs warning them to be properly clothed. people regularly take on ice covered passes in running shoes and go for a long slide with varied injury results.
theres been no bad news coming from the anapurna circuit until the storm happened . people get lulled into a false sense of security wowed by the scenery and fine weather... plus there was no warning system for bad weather...
i doubt anyone warns people on what to wear... people hear or read accounts of other peoples positive experiences and they just go without bothering to understand the risks... its the mountains, its been baking hot in the southern alps until yesterday and now theres snow all over the alps today....

Was there only a week before it happened. Its amazing the ignorance of some people and how underprepared they are.