An off piste skier has been killed late this morning in the ski resort of Auron in the Alpes Maritimes close to Nice. The avalanche occurred at 2400 meters altitude and ran 400 meters.
The victim, aged 47, was part of a group of three skiers who were in the Sauma-Longue sector between the Haute-Plane and Combe-Armand chairs. Local to the area they knew the ski area very well. Despite having an Airbag the victim was found in a state of cardiovascular arrest by the rescue services and they were unable to resuscitate him. It appears he was killed during the slide. The victim is the fourth person to die in an avalanche in France over the Christmas week.
The avalanche bulletin had given the risk as Moderate for the area with the principal danger being thin windslab. The mountains had missed the recent snowfall that caused traffic chaos in the North however strong winds from the north and north west had transported snow forming new slabs.
http://pistehors.com/body-of-second-mont-blanc-avalanche-victim-found-23660313.htm
http://pistehors.com/first-avalanche-fatality-of-season-for-france-23657653.htm