A 44 year old ski mountaineer was killed on Friday morning, May 8, after being swept away by an avalanche on the north face of the Aiguille de l’Olan in the Écrins massif in south-eastern France.
According to the CRS Alpes rescue service in Grenoble, the alarm was raised at approximately 11:50 a.m. at an altitude of around 3,373 meters. Two climbers were ascending a steep slope using crampons and were not roped together when a wind slab suddenly released beneath them.
One of the men was carried away by the avalanche and fell several hundred meters down the face. Rescue teams later recovered his body below the slope. The second climber was evacuated by helicopter in a state of shock.
The victim, originally from the Chambéry area, was reported to be a highly experienced high mountain guide. Initial reports indicate that the two climbers were only around twenty meters from the summit when the avalanche occurred. The pair had reportedly intended to ski down the mountain after completing the ascent.
Authorities say the avalanche was triggered by a wind loaded slab of recent snow that detached unexpectedly, dragging the victim into an approximately 400 meter fall.
The accident comes after several days of significant snowfall across the Alps. Weather stations recorded close to one meter of fresh snow at high altitude over a five day period in parts of the Isère and Hautes Alpes regions.
Friday’s avalanche bulletin warned of rare but potentially reactive slabs above 2,700 meters, particularly on north facing slopes in the Meije, Écrins, and Olan sectors where recent snow accumulations were greatest.
Forecasters rated the avalanche danger as level 2, limited, above 2,700 meters and level 1, low, below that altitude. The bulletin also warned that warming conditions during the day could trigger wet snow slides on steep slopes.
Avalanche specialists noted that while the spring snowpack generally stabilizes quickly at this time of year, isolated slabs of cold dry snow could still remain active at higher elevations, especially on shaded north facing terrain.
The tragedy has revived memories of another deadly avalanche that struck the French Alps on May 8, 2021 at the nearby the Col du Galibier.
That accident involved two groups of ski mountaineers on the north side of the Galibier above the commune of Valloire. The avalanche occurred at around 11:30 a.m. at an altitude of 2,600 meters in the northwest facing Clapièr couloir.
Four experienced ski mountaineers from Grenoble, aged between 42 and 76, lost their lives. One person survived. Rescue teams deployed two helicopters and avalanche dogs during an extensive operation carried out in what were described at the time as highly unstable conditions.
Several of the victims in the 2021 accident were equipped with avalanche transceivers and airbags, underlining the persistent risks that remain even for highly experienced mountaineers during periods of unstable spring snow conditions.
With clear weather forecast for Saturday before a possible deterioration later in the weekend, mountain rescue services are urging climbers and ski tourers to exercise caution in high alpine terrain.
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