A snowshoer was killed yesterday by an avalanche in the Montcalm mountain range in the Pyrenees. Two snowshoers were above the refuge du PInet (2240 meters altitude) in the Auzat valley when they were taken by the slide in the afternoon. One of the showshoers was able to free himself from the snow and raise the alarm at 14h30.
The search for the second victim was complicated by high winds which stopped the police helicopter from landing near the slide. The body was finally found by an avalanche rescue dog in the early evening. The avalanche risk was HIGH (4/5) in the sector. The victim was the 7th person to be killed by avalanches in France this season.
At le Puy St-Vincent in the Hautes-Alpes department a large avalanche caught a group of three in the early afternoon under the Col du Bal. The group were skiing off-piste in the resort. A member of the group who had remained on the surface was able to dig out one victim who had a broken thigh. A second group of skiers rescued the other victims after spotting a ski boot in the snow. The person was suffering from hypothermia. There had been 60 to 80 cm of snow in the sector and the avalanche risk was HIGH (4/5).
There was a large avalanche on Mont Joly, near Megeve. A pisteur spotted two skiers in the vicinity of the slide After a large search operation lasting Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning the rescue services decided that there were no victims. On Tuesday a soldier was buried for 15 minutes by an avalanche while skiing off-piste in the Lac du Chardonnet sector in Tignes. The man didn't have an avalanche beacon. He was found uninjured by an avalanche dog belonging to the pisteurs. This is the second soldier to be buried by an avalanche in Tignes this season.