Happy Christmas for man trapped by avalanche

A ski tourer had a lucky escape after being trapped by an avalanche for over 30 minutes in the Champsaur area of the Hautes-Alpes yesterday. A couple of skiers passing the spot heard muffled cries for help and found the trapped man, a 34 year of resident of Gap, thanks to his avalanche beacon. Freed from the snow slide the man was taken to hospital suffering from the effects of cold.

The avalanche occurred late morning in the Vallon de la Coupa at around 2150 meters altitude. PisteHors had warned of slabs in the Champsaur and Pelvoux in our video bulletin of the 22nd. The avalanche risk was 2 (moderate) on a scale of 5 at the time of the accident but the bulletin for the region had warned of slabs on shaded slopes above 2000 meters. The risk is considerable today and police have warned off-piste skiers to take extreme care in the region.