There were two avalanche incidents in the Three Valleys area yesterday which injured three skiers, one using an airbag system.
A Swedish national was carried 300 meters by an avalanche in a couloir of the Roc des Saints-Pères (3470 meters) above Val Thorens but was not buried by the slide. He suffered a hip fracture. His two friends were able to avoid the slide.
In a separate incident two ski tourers triggered a slide at 2900 meters altitude around 14h00 while climbing a couloir on the north-west of the Aiguille du Fruit (3051 meters), their friend who had waited at the base of the couloir, escaped the slide. They had set out from the Tuéda car-park at Mottaret. One of the skiers was able to activate his airbag. Neither skier was buried by the slide despite being carried some 400 vertical meters. Both skiers suffered injuries: a fractured vertabrae and rib and knee injuries. An eye witness said that there were numerous small slabs (20cm depth) in the area due to a thin layer of facets on an icy base. A reminder that even a risk 2 day, a small slab on a steep slope can have serious consequences.