A small avalanche crossed a marked ski run at Les Deux Alpes on Monday around midday, lightly injuring one skier, resort officials said. This is the second piste avalanche involving skiers this year, following an incident at Ste Foy.
The naturally triggered slide occurred shortly after noon on the Baucé run (formerly Thuit 1) at an altitude of around 2,000 metres. Described by the piste service as being of “limited size,” the avalanche knocked over four skiers. One of them suffered an ankle injury and was evacuated by ski patrol before being taken to the resort’s medical centre.
Elsewhere in the region, two other avalanches were reported in the Belledonne massif, though no fatalities occurred. On the north face of Dent du Pra, a solo ski tourer was swept along by an avalanche but was not buried. Although uninjured, he lost his skis and called mountain rescue. He was assisted by the PGHM de l’Isère and evacuated by Civil Protection helicopter. The other incident involved ski tourers on the Grand Colon but without injury.
For Tuesday, Météo‑France forecast a considerable (level 3) avalanche risk below 1,800 metres and a high (level 4) risk above that altitude in the Grandes Rousses and Oisans areas. Forecasters warned of easily triggered wind slabs and the potential for large, cascading avalanches. In Belledonne, as well as the Chartreuse and Vercors massifs, the risk was rated level 3 above 1,500 metres.
The warning follows a serious incident on Saturday, 31 January, when two ski tourers were caught in a large avalanche in the Belledonne massif near the Col de la Mine de Fer. One skier was buried and rescued by his companion using an avalanche transceiver before being airlifted unconscious to CHU Grenoble Alpes.