A couple of ski tourers, a man and a woman aged in their 40s, have been involved in an avalanche incident on the crête de l’Arpion (2671m) in the Southern French Alps. The ski tourers were taking advantage of fresh snow following a long snow drought in the Alps.
The alert was given just before midday with reports of a man completely buried by slab avalanche on an east face at 2400 meters altitude on the classic route to the crête de l’Arpion near the col de Chante-Perdrix. The skied measured 50 m x 150 m.
Rescue workers were unable to reach the site by helicopter due to the weather conditions and had to be dropped nearby. A team consisiting of a rescue dog and handler a doctor and rescue workers reached the sector on foot. The man, local to the area, could not be rescucitated by the team. The delay in localizing and recovering the victim may have been vital.
Authorities warned skiers that the situation was evolving with the recent snowfall in the Alps and called for care for anyone venturing into the mountains off open and marked trails.
The avalanche risk was Considerable with the bulleting warning of new slabs due to the fresh snow, in particular above 2200 m on all slope aspects and even at a distance from ridges. The new slow had fallen onto a weak surface layer above 2200m with the danger greatest on slopes in the lee of the south-west to south wind (ie NE to N sector). These slabs could mobilize a large amount of snow and were sensitie to triggering by a single skier.