The return to sunny weather brought skiers and ski tourers out in force today in the Savoie/Haute-Savoie with two fatalities and 4 injured in at least 9 separate incidents. This brings to 9 the number of fatalities in the French Alps since Friday. The worst three day period since the 20th February, 2006. This brings the provisional total of fatalities to 25 for the year.

In the Maurienne the rescue services attended avalanches at the ski resorts of Termignon and La Norma and another incident at Pralognan-le-Vanoise. In the Pralognan incident a track was seen entering the slide but a search did not find any victim. At 14h30 four ski tourers triggered an avalanche at Champagny-en-Vanoise in the Glières sector. One skier was buried and did not survive.

At midday there was a large avalanche in the North Couloir of the pointe d’Areu in the Aravis. The slide measured 250m wide by 1000m. Three skiers were taken by the avalanche and one was completely buried. Located with his beacon the man did not survive.

At Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise an avalanche resulted in one injured and across the valley at les Arcs another incident injured two skiers. In the same area an avalanche at Peisey-Vallandry resulted in one injury.

A short report from Switzerland :

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Four_skiers_die_in_avalanche_accidents.html?cid=29784808

I heard of some avalanches on the Italian side of the alpes. Will have to see if there are some reports. So pretty unstable everywhere. I don’t buy they “rise in temperature” angle that is being touted around much, there was a pretty good refreeze on both Friday and Sunday. I think that most of these avalanches were windslab related.

A slide in the Alpes on the Chapeau de gendarme near Barcalonette in the Alpes d’Haute Provence which buried two skiers out of a group of 25 - well at least they had some shovelers. No injuries.

http://www.ledauphine.com/hautes-alpes/2011/03/20/deux-skieurs-ensevelis-mais-indemnes.

There were also a couple of crevasse rescues on the Vallee Blanche one at the Salle à Manger and the other in the Bédière sector. Both victims needed hospital treatment. A reminder that crevasses are still open in places.

Likewise I don’t go with the rise in temps thing… more like quite a lot of new heavy snow wind-loaded on top of the pretty grim old low layers from earlier this winter. Was in at the Femma hut yesterday & pretty much the whole slope facing it (North facing) had gone - lots of slabs pulled out all over the place. Lots of care needed at the moment.

With the last few days freeze/thaw the snowpack is beginning to stabilize, at least below 2400m. Watch out for the return to warmer weather tomorrow with some snow purges in the afternoon.

There was a big avalanche, measuring 250m wide, above Ste-Foy-Tarentaise yesterday. The avalanche caught 2 ski tourers, part of a group of 12 led by two guides. The victims were taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia. Both had used their airbags which probably saved them from more serious injuries. The slide occured at around 13h00 on the North-West face of la pointe de l’Argentière at 2700m and ran to 2000m.