Avalanche conditions continue to be sketchy over much of the French alps even if there has been some stabilization. A "retour d'est" weather system brought around 30cm of fresh snow to the Southern Alps and border areas in the Northern Alps.
A 32-year-old ski instructor narrowly escaped death on Sunday after triggering an avalanche on the west face of the Crête de Cibouit, near Monêtier-les-Bains in the French Alps. The incident occurred around midday while the man was skiing off-piste with two friends, both of whom are also mountain professionals.
The group had climbed the Croix de Cibouit, at an altitude of around 2,600 metres, via its south-east ridge. As the first skier began descending the steep west-facing slope overlooking the Grand Tabuc valley, he reportedly triggered a wind slab avalanche within the first few turns. He was carried approximately 500 metres downhill, through very steep terrain and into forested areas below.
According to mountain rescue officials, the skier came to rest injured but conscious. He managed to call out to his companions, who reached him quickly and raised the alarm. Due to the unavailability of local rescue teams in the Briançon area, a helicopter crew from the CRS Alpes and a SAMU doctor based in Huez were dispatched to the scene by Civil Protection helicopter.
The injured man was suffering from hypothermia and was evacuated to Grenoble University Hospital, where doctors suspected a pelvic fracture among other injuries. Rescue services confirmed that all three skiers were equipped with avalanche transceivers at the time of the accident.
Avalanche risk rising
Mountain rescue teams have renewed calls for extreme caution in the coming days. Strong easterly winds have been blowing across the Isère and the Hautes-Alpes, leading to significant wind-driven snow accumulations just below ridgelines, particularly on west and north-west facing slopes.
An avalanche bulletin and field observations from the area, carried out on Friday by avalanche forecasters, highlighted particularly worrying snow-pack conditions. At elevations around 2,300 metres, total snow depth exceeded one metre, with recent snowfall resting on a very thick layer of up to 80 centimetres of weak, poorly bonded faceted grains. The avalanche risk was announced at High (4/5) for the area on Sunday.
Although stability tests conducted at the time did not show widespread propagation, one compression test failed after moderate loading, indicating the presence of a deep and reactive weak layer. They also observed avalanches, including one large slide, in the woods. Forecasters warned that new snowfall expected over the weekend would further load this fragile structure, significantly increasing the likelihood of slab avalanches.
This winter has been marked by unusually persistent weak layers in the southern Alps, a situation that allows avalanche danger to remain high long after snowfall events. Numerous avalanches observed throughout the week underscore the ongoing risk, particularly in steep, wind-loaded terrain. At nearby Prorel a ski touring group triggered a deep avalanche in wooded terrain while climbing on a section that already had ski tracks.