The body of the second ski tourer has been found this morning on the glacier d’Armancette below the Dômes de Miage on the Mont-Blanc range. The two victims, twin brothers aged 22, had been reported missing by their family on Christmas Eve.
The victims were found at 2700 meters and at 2200 meters at the foot of avalanche debris. The slide started at 3300 meters altitude and although not very deep, around 30cm, had broken over most of the facing leaving no chance for escape. The glacier is very technical with a succession of cliff bands and crevasses. It was probably the fall that proved fatal to both brothers. The brothers has spent the night of the 23rd at the Conscripts refuge and had climbed to the Dômes de Miage in the morning. They had probably triggered a windslab type avalanche late in the morning on the descent. The victims were experience and carried the usual avalanche rescue equipment. The PGHM has warned ski mountaineers to be vigilant even where the snow cover is thin. A ski tourer was killed by an avalanche at Val Thorens on Monday and a number of skier triggered avalanches have been reported over the last week at altitude on various slope aspects.