Two Austrian ski tourers, aged in their twenties, and an Italian, have been killed and another is in a serious but stable condition following an avalanche in the French Ecrins mountain range at 15h00 today. The slab avalanche occured at around 3200 meters near the col Emile Pic above the Ecrins refuge in the Pelvoux sector.
Windspeeds were reported at around 80km/h. According to Colonel Christian Flagella of the PGHM the slab measured 80 wide by 250 meters long. As Pistehors' editor in chief noted on twitter yesterday the avalanche risk was considerable in the sector (3/5). After a month of relatively stable conditions recent fresh snow and winds have brought a series of incidents to the Alps. The group of 10 skiers were accompanied by two high mountain guides. The rescue operation was particularly difficult due to high winds and poor visibility. The survivors are currently in the Ecrins refuge, the visibility is too poor to air lift them to Vallouise. A manslaughter inquiry has been opened by the prosecutor. The group were descending a couloir on an abseil at the time of the incident. It appears the slide caught members of the group waiting at the bottom of the rope. Another group of 5 skiers had already descended the slope without incident. The snow was said to be hard on the slope.
Two ski tourers have been found dead in the Devoluy range below the Aiguilles du Mas in the St-Disdier range. It appears they lost their footing and fell over 600 meters. The exact cause of the incident will be difficult to ascertain. High winds have covered their tracks. Small avalanche, slip on icy terrain, pushed by wind are all theories being studied by the police. The 22 year old skiers were from Crolles and the Savoie.