A backcountry skier was left in critical condition after being buried by an avalanche above Saint-Martin-Vésubie on Friday, as a separate large slide struck the resort of Val d’Allos – La Foux the previous day.
Skier Buried for Several Minutes in Vésubie Valley
The incident occurred around midday on Friday, February 13 2026, as a group of seven experienced and well-equipped ski tourers prepared to descend into the Vésubie valley from the Col du Poncet.
Four members of the group were caught in the avalanche. Three managed to free themselves, but a woman in her forties remained buried under approximately one metre of snow for five to six minutes. When she was located by her companions, she was in cardiac arrest.
The group immediately began first aid, performing CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until mountain rescue teams arrived. She was treated on site by CRS mountain rescuers and the head doctor of the local fire brigade before being airlifted by the Dragon 06 helicopter to Pasteur Hospital in Nice. She was hospitalised in serious condition.
Three other members of the group, who were also briefly buried near the surface, were transported to hospital in a state of shock.
According to Alain Jardinet the deputy mayor of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, it was the first avalanche recorded in that particular sector, where the avalanche risk had been rated relatively low at 2 out of 5 on Friday.
Avalanche Bulletin: Wind Slabs and Wet Snow
The regional avalanche bulletin had warned of surface instabilities in wind-drifted snow at higher elevations, particularly in the Haute Tinée area.
Above 2,000 metres, the risk was rated “limited” (Level 2), while below that altitude it was “low” (Level 1), rising locally to Level 2. The snowpack above 2,200 metres was described as only moderately stabilised, with wind slabs more frequent on west-, north- and east-facing slopes. In some cases, these slabs could be triggered by a single skier.
Avalanches were forecast to be small to medium in size (Size 1 to 2), though a large avalanche (Size 3) was not ruled out in Haute Tinée. The bulletin also warned of occasional spontaneous wet snow avalanches on sun-exposed slopes, sometimes reaching significant size.
Forecasters noted that Storm Nils had caused substantial wind transport of snow, especially in Haute Tinée, creating largely superficial instabilities. Deeper weak layers were considered well buried and unlikely to be triggered by light loads.
Major Avalanche at Val d’Allos – No Casualties
On Thursday, February 12, shortly before 10am, a significant avalanche was reported at the Val d’Allos – La Foux resort in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
The slide originated in the Trois Évêchés cirque above the resort and continued “in aerosol form” down to the Roche aux Fées run in the La Chaup sector, which was open to the public at the time.
A major rescue operation was immediately launched, involving around 30 personnel including ski patrollers, instructors, members of the PGHM mountain gendarmerie unit and specialist avalanche search dog teams. Reinforcements from the nearby Seignus area also assisted in securing the zone.
Search teams conducted thorough checks using avalanche transceivers (DVA), the Recco rescue system and probing to ensure no one had been buried. A helicopter was deployed but left the area later in the morning once the search was complete.
After extensive checks, authorities confirmed that no victims were involved. The resort was partially closed as a precaution, with only the “tubes” sector remaining open initially, before the entire ski area was shut for the rest of the day.
At the time, the avalanche risk in the area was rated 4 out of 5, indicating a high level of instability in the snowpack. Resort officials urged strict compliance with safety instructions, closures and posted signage, and called for extreme caution from all mountain users, including snowshoers.