Mountaineering equipment

A giant snow slab broke away and barreled down a mountainside, briefly burying three people out of dozens participating in an avalanche course in the Swiss Alps on Dec. 7, rescue services said.

"Practice became serious," the Swiss rescue services Rega said in a statement after the avalanche hit members of a group of 40 people learning how to minimize avalanche risks.

Estonian athlete Jaan Roose made history by crossing from Asia to Europe on a rope stretched over Istanbul's iconic July 15th Martyrs Bridge.

The event, part of the Continental Pass, saw Roose walk 1,074 meters across a rope suspended 165 meters above the Bosphorus, thrilling the city below.