Hi - small typo - Brevent-Flégère (it just says ‘vent-Flégère).
Thanks, I fixed that. Something to do with my spell checker. I read in the Dauphine Libere that there were nine major search and rescue operations yesterday.
I was touring in the Chablais today. It was worth making an early start as the east slopes were very soft at 10am. However that should be contrasted with north facing slopes which had a 3-5cm layer of ice on them. Very dangerous and I regretted leaving my crampons in the car.
Hi - regarding the reported avalanche while skiing off the Aiguille Rouge in Les Arcs: it happened in the Grandes Pentes, an East facing slope (your picture shows a different aspect of Aiguille Rouge facing South-East with the prominent Colouir Valdez). In March 2005 we followed a group of four people into the Grandes Pentes. The slope avalanched in front of us and the one person broke a leg when taken over a cliff. We were buzzed by the rescuing helicopter but skied out safely. It’s a dangerous place after the weather has warmed up and the morning sun has been on it, with avalanches feeding gullies that descend to the valley floor.
Hi Guy,
Thanks for the extra information. I’ve just got the police report and it gives the start point as a north-east angle (effectively those facing la Thuile that you reach by skiing down the north facing black from the cable car). As you say these east sector slopes take a lot of sun in March (the sun is twice as strong as it was in January).
The start point was 3020 meters and the slide was 200 meters in length. The slide ran 1600 meters over a number of gulleys and small cliffs. It is described as a very “large slab avalanche”. The approx time of the slide was 14h00.
The two victims were brothers, the survivor, in a very serious conditions, was taken to hospital in Grenoble.
I think your point about the timing is important. Although I’ve skied similar slopes with maybe similar risks I don’t like being on such slopes in the afternoon. Of course slab avalanches can be triggered at any time of day - they depend primarily on a weak layer or sliding surface so I don’t want to be overly sanguine in comparison to these unfortunate skiers.
I’ve updated the photograph.
There was an incident in les Karelis in the Maurienne. Two skiers and two snowboarders (including a pair of piste patrollers) were skiing the Pointe d’Emy. One of the snowboarders was caught by an avalanche and buried with just an arm visible. He was taken to hospital with very minor injuries.
http://www.data-avalanche.org/alea_avalanches/view_item/Avalanche/50000178
The avalanche happened on a north-east slope at 2900 meters at 12h30. 150cm crack thickness, risk 3.