Yesterday, mountain rescue teams from the Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne (PGHM) in Modane responded to two separate incidents involving ski groups caught in snow slides outside marked ski areas.
The first alert was received shortly after 2:00 PM, involving a mountain guide and clients in the Dômes de la Vanoise area, near the commune of Pralognan-la-Vanoise. Fortunately, this avalanche did not cause any injuries and the group managed to extricate themselves from the debris. They were airlifted by the PGHM back to the safety of the ski resort.
A second avalanche occurred just before 4:00 PM near the Brèche de la Cochette, in the commune of Saint-Sorlin d’Arves in Maurienne. Another mountain guide and his client were caught by the slide. They, too, were able to free themselves from the snow, although a ski was lost during the incident. Unable to descend safely on their own, the pair contacted mountain rescue teams for assistance.
The avalanche bulletin for the region indicated a limited avalanche risk above 2200 meters, particularly in shaded northern aspects. Rare, small wind slabs, difficult to detect, posed potential hazards due to subtle wind effects creating unstable snow structures. Additionally, small wet-snow avalanches triggered by sun-warmed slopes were possible, with occasional spontaneous wet-snow slides and slab avalanches below 2500 meters.
[Update]
I saw this on the data-avalanche site. It seems to be a different incident from the first one above as the time is wrong and the victim was on his own. He says did most of the slide under the snow but finished on the surface but had to call the PGHM as he was too badly hurt to descend having hit rocks. Another guide. They are having some bad luck.
https://www.data-avalanche.org/avalanche/1742468673908
-- David