British ski instructor Simon Butler has one another important legal battle in French courts.

A 31 year old Swiss climber who called the French rescue services claiming to have frostbite has been fined 3000 euros, 1500 of which are suspended for “giving false information leading to a rescue”.

On the 9th of December 2010 and independent snowboard instructor from Val d‘Isère and one of his clients, a surgeon from Aix-en-Provence were caught by an avalanche in the “couloir des pisteurs” on

It is a story that has set the keyboards of ski forum users’ clattering.

Illegal guiding be it of the ski or mountain variety is getting a lot of attention from the authorities these days, although often only when things go wrong and the clients find there is no insurance.

There was a certain surprise that two Spanish skiers turned up for their trial last month.

A manslaughter inquiry has been opened by the Albertville prosecutor following the death of a Russian skier at les Arcs on the 29th of March.