Climbers injured by avalanche in the Belledonne

Four climbers from Lyon have been caught by an avalanche just before midday in the Belledonne mountains in the French Alps. They were climbing a couloir located on the north face of the Grande Lance de Domène. The first climber was just exiting the top of the couloir when he triggered a small slab avalanche. The snow slide caught two of the climbers and carried them over 300 meters down the slope.

grande lance
Image: camp2camp.com

The two victims, aged in their thirties, were taken by the Securite Civile helicopter to hospital in Grenoble where they were treated for light injuries to the head and body. The avalanche risk had been revised from 2 (Moderate) to 3 (Considerable) during the course of the evening due to 10-15 cm of fresh snow that had fallen in the area accompanied by strong winds.

Posted by davidof on Sunday, 01 April, 2007 at 01:47 PM