The fall of a climber into a crevasse highlighted this season's risky combination of crumbling snow bridges and splintered climbing teams.

A powerful wave as tall as 55-storey building crashed through a fjord in Alaska in 2015, stripping the mountainsides of trees and dirt. It was triggered by a landslide — and researchers say such tsunamis could pose an increasing risk in places like Western Canada as climate change melts glaciers.

For half a century, Taku had been the one known Alaskan glacier to withstand the effects of climate change – until now.