Saxat från Wepowder;
" The scenario was sadly predictable. After days of intense snowfall followed by sunny weather, widespread avalanches were triggered across the French Alps this weekend. The toll is heavy: several people lost their lives and others were seriously injured. Incidents occurred in, among other places, Val d’Isère, Arêches-Beaufort, Tignes, Courchevel, La Plagne, Orelle, Le Corbier and Vallorcine.
Val d’Isère: two freeriders killed
On Saturday, January 10, two French skiers were killed in Val d’Isère. They were descending off-piste on the backside of Bellevarde, in steep, canyon-like terrain, when a large slab avalanche released. The fracture line was estimated at 60 to 70 centimeters. The avalanche likely occurred some time before rescue services were alerted.
The alarm was only raised at 14:26, after friends became concerned when the skiers failed to return. Using GPS data from their smartphones, pisteurs were able to determine the skiers’ last known location. A large-scale search operation followed, involving around fifteen rescuers and three search dogs. Because the men were not carrying avalanche transceivers, the area had to be searched manually. Both were eventually recovered from beneath approximately 2.5 meters of snow, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
Arêches-Beaufort: another fatality
Also on Saturday, a fatal avalanche occurred near the Col de la Bâthie in Arêches-Beaufort. Two off-piste skiers were caught by a slab avalanche. A pisteur witnessed the fracture line and was able to respond quickly. One victim was seriously injured and airlifted to the hospital in Annecy. The second skier, a 48-year-old man from the Nantes region, died at the scene.
New incidents on Sunday
Sunday saw a long series of further avalanches.
In Courchevel, an avalanche released at 11:40 in the Roche Grise off-piste area. Pisteurs witnessed the slide and immediately alerted the PGHM. One buried victim was quickly located but pronounced dead at the scene.
In La Plagne, early in the afternoon, a British skier in his fifties was killed in the off-piste descent Verdons Sud, on the Champagny-en-Vanoise side. He was swept away by an avalanche and could not be revived despite resuscitation attempts. He was not equipped with an avalanche transceiver.
In Orelle, two brothers aged between 25 and 30 were caught in an avalanche in a steep couloir directly beside the piste. Neither of them carried avalanche transceivers. One brother was completely buried but was dug out alive. He was airlifted in critical condition to the hospital in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
In Tignes, a snowboarder was partially buried after triggering an avalanche in off-piste terrain. Shortly afterward, a second avalanche released above him, triggered by another snowboarder. The victim was flown to Bourg-Saint-Maurice hospital suffering from hypothermia. Later in the afternoon, at 15:45, another avalanche in the Combe Droite near Palafour buried a person, who was quickly recovered and found to be conscious.
In Le Corbier, a group of young skiers triggered an avalanche in the La Vallée Perdue area. The group immediately reported the incident to rescue services — the correct response. After checks, no one was found to be missing or injured.
Fatal avalanche in Vallorcine Shortly before 15:00, rescue services from the PGHM in Chamonix were deployed following an avalanche in the central couloir of Les Posettes near Vallorcine. Two men were caught. One of them, a 32-year-old pisteur from La Flégère in Chamonix and father of young children, was thrown against a tree and later died from his injuries. The second person was unharmed.
Spontaneous avalanche reaches road near Les Arcs
Around 17:00, a spontaneous avalanche reached the RD119 road leading to the Arc 1950 resort. According to the gendarmerie, no vehicles were involved. Traffic was temporarily controlled while the road was cleared.
Analysis: a classic but deadly avalanche scenario
This weekend leaves no doubt: conditions are extremely dangerous. We are facing a classic and well-known pattern — avalanche danger level 4 out of 5, a weak underlying snowpack, large amounts of fresh snow and strong winds that have formed unstable slabs. The sunny weekend weather then drew many freeriders into the terrain.
In many places, the snowpack is explosively unstable. A single skier or snowboarder can be enough to trigger a large avalanche — even in terrain that is normally considered relatively “safe” or has already been skied frequently. "
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