Two ski tourers have died after being caught in an avalanche in La Chapelle-d’Abondance, in the Haute-Savoie department of the French Alps. The bodies of the two women, aged 51 and 55 and both from the Chablais region, were only discovered on Monday, February 23, after they failed to return from a ski touring outing the previous day.
Alarm Raised After Car Found
Emergency services were alerted when gendarmes discovered a vehicle parked at the trailhead of a ski touring route in the commune. Concern escalated after one of the women failed to appear at work on Monday morning, prompting her employer to report her absence.
A reconnaissance flight was launched by the “Dragon 74” rescue helicopter, carrying a firefighter from the mountain rescue unit (GMSP), an officer from the PGHM high mountain gendarmerie unit, and a doctor from the emergency medical service (SMUR).
The helicopter was equipped with a Swiss-made Gis Berger antenna system, used to detect signals from avalanche transceivers (DVA) from the air. During an aerial search over the Chalets de Mens (1589m) sector, beneath the Dent du Chat (1936m), rescuers identified a large slide of heavy, wet snow measuring approximately 200 meters long, 50 meters wide and up to two meters deep on south-east facing slopes.
Victims Located Beneath 1.5 Meters of Snow
Both women were equipped with avalanche transceivers. After flying over the debris, rescuers detected two signals. Mountain rescue personnel were then dropped onto the site to begin a ground search. The bodies were quickly located: one buried at a depth of 50 centimeters, the other at 1.5 meters beneath the snow surface.
At the time of the accident, the avalanche risk was rated 3 out of 5 (“considerable”) on the European danger scale.
Considerable Risk and Warming Conditions
Sunday’s avalanche bulletin warned of ongoing instability at altitude, with fragile wind slabs in recent snow above 2,000–2,200 meters on all aspects. These slabs were described as easily triggered, with fracture depths ranging from 50 centimeters to one meter and the potential to produce medium to large avalanches.
Forecasters also highlighted the presence of a persistent weak layer on east, north and west-facing slopes, capable of producing very large avalanches if triggered. On sun-exposed slopes, warming temperatures were expected to increase sensitivity during the day. Below 2,000 meters, isolated wet snow slabs were also noted.
Authorities in the Haute-Savoie have urged extreme caution in the mountains, particularly during the current thaw following significant recent snowfall. Steep south-facing slopes at altitude are especially prone to spontaneous releases under these conditions.
Piste avalanche in Chamonix
An avalanche swept across part of the Flégère ski area at around midday on Tuesday, February 24, partially burying three skiers. The slide released from slopes overlooking the top of the Floria drag lift and covered the upper section of the red Crochues run and the black Floria run.
According to local authorities, three people were almost completely buried by the avalanche, with snow reaching up to their necks. All three were rescued alive and are now out of danger. Given the scale of the event, a major rescue operation was launched to ensure no other skiers had been caught in the slide.
In addition to ski patrol rescuers, public mountain rescue resources were deployed, including officers from the high mountain gendarmerie unit (PGHM). Guides from Evolution 2 and lift company employees also assisted. Around 60 rescuers organized coordinated probing lines to systematically search the entire debris field. Four avalanche search dogs were also brought in to help locate any potential buried victims. No further casualties were reported following the extensive search.
This is not the first on piste avalanche in the ski domain, in 2008:
There was also an on piste avalanche in the Brevent-Flégère ski domain above Chamonix. The slide had started in a couloir under the Cornu chair and caught two skiers. The assistant head of ski runs and An English woman who suffered mild spinal injuries. The avalanche risk was described as a “good 2” by Meteo France. A few minutes later there was a second slide in the Lachenal bowl. The slide started on the slopes of the Pic Janvier and finished on a red slope. A search operation confirmed that there were no victims. After an overnight refreeze tomorrow is expected to be one of the hottest days of the year in the French alps with valley temperatures hitting 20C. The rain midweek has also left a lethal layer of ice between 1500-2000 meters.
Authorities are continuing to urge vigilance in the mountains, as warming temperatures and recent heavy snowfall have created unstable snowpack conditions across parts of the Alps.