Trees blocked the slide’s path.
Landslides may seem like a distant threat, but on the 26th in the Wangtiane area of Changbai Mountain, just such an incident occurred—a small-scale snow slide swept more than ten outdoor enthusiasts dozens of meters away. Fortunately, only two people sustained minor injuries.
On January 26, an outdoor group from Baishan organized a hiking activity, setting off at around 7 a.m. from Songjianghe Town in Fusong County to Wangtiane. Around 9 a.m., the netizens encountered another hiking group from Dunhua also heading toward the main peak. At 9:34 a.m., while the Baishan group was taking photos, a snow slide occurred midway up the mountain in the distance. In just over 10 seconds, the cascading snow disrupted the Dunhua group’s formation, sweeping more than ten people away. Fortunately, the slopes on both sides were covered with dense and hardy Erman’s birch forests, which blocked the slide’s path. After about 20 minutes of rescue efforts, all trapped individuals were evacuated to safety. Aside from two who suffered minor injuries from collisions during the fall, no one else was seriously hurt.
A reporter conducted a phone interview with Mr. Zhuo, a guide with many years of field experience. According to Mr. Zhuo, Wangtiane is located in the core zone of the Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve, where hiking activities by outdoor enthusiasts are not permitted except for necessary scientific research or forest protection tasks. This is especially true in winter, when the risk of danger is significantly higher. This publication reminds readers that winter outdoor activities carry certain risks, and outdoor enthusiasts should not enter protected areas without authorization to avoid accidents.
It is understood that the cause of the snow slide was primarily the melting of surface snow on sun-exposed mountain slopes due to sunlight. The melted snow seeped between the snowpack and the slope, reducing friction between the snow and the ground, which then caused the snow layer to slide downward under the force of gravity.