A trainee guide and trainee ski instructor have been killed today by an avalanche on Mont Blanc at 3500 meters altitude. Both men, aged in their mid-twenties, were local to the Haute-Savoie. The men were ascending a 55 degree couloir on the Mont Blanc du Tacul when they were hit by the slide. Equipped with avalanche beacons, their bodies were found under a meter of snow. The avalanche risk was Considerable (3/5) at the time in the sector.
This brings the number of deaths to 22 so far this season including a number of professionals or groups accompanied by professionals. The head of the prosecution service based in Chambéry said that the accidents involving guides or instructors that he is investigating were not down to bad luck and that professionals need to know when to change or refuse a trip when the conditions are poor. The head of the ANENA (National Association for the Study of Snow and Avalanches) has warned mountain professionals of “imprudence bordering on negligence” and has asked whether guides should avoid zones (such as the Combes des Lanches in les Arcs) with a reputation as dangerous. Guides have responded that with the improvement in powder skis it is getting harder for them to find fresh powder for their clients.
