A skier who was part of a group of seven experienced alpine skiers from the French Alpine Club in Nice died in an avalanche in the French Alps on Monday.
The avalanche occurred in the middle of the day at a place called Pic de l’Aigle, at an altitude of 2,500 metres, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region, according to emergency services.
The victim was found under four meters of ice and in a state of cardiac and respiratory arrest, and died in his fifties despite the intervention of the emergency services.
Four members of the group were swept away by the avalanche, but they were not injured. Two of them were taken to the emergency services in a state of shock.
Significant resources were mobilized to rescue the skiers: three helicopters and about twenty rescuers, including three dog teams and detachments of mountain gendarmes.
The French Meteorological Agency, Météo France, reported a “noticeable” avalanche hazard, level 3 out of 5, for Monday over all the Alpine and Haut Alps ranges. Both divisions remain on an avalanche “yellow” alert, as of Tuesday.
Less than a month from the start of the Alpine Ski World Championships in Courchevel and Meribel, in the French Alps (February 6-19), high temperatures and rain are affecting slope preparation.
Many ski resorts in the Alps have postponed their opening, originally scheduled for the end of November, due to not having enough snow to function properly.
