Radio Mont Blanc reports that four skier were caught in an avalanche on the Valorcine side of the Aig. de Posettes yesterday. One skier was seriously injured from being carried over a cliff. The risk level was 3 over 2400m, the three other skiers were uninjured.

http://www.chamonix.net/francais/actualite/2012-03-20.htm

Lots of fresh snow in the region although it fell without much wind. That would have added to the risk. The skier was Swedish and as your article says it occurred in the Posettes sector above Vallorcin. The skier was carried 100m and carried 10 meters over cliffs. The back fracture doesn’t sound great.

A couple of years back the Marie of Valorcine, a guide, tried to get skiing banned in that sector, to protect the Nordic track and footpath at the bottom. There are a series of long gullies all at a steady angle of 30 to 35 deg!

The area they were skiing in is about 35 degrees and is above a band of cliffs. Technically this area between the Vallorcine lifs and the Posettes couloirs is off limits as it is an animal protection area. Most of the signs indicating this were removed last year. I think the group were perhaps trying to enjoy the powder on the north side of the Aiguillete but went too low and missed the traverse. The guy who was caught fell over 100 metres and gave rise to a complicated helicopter rescue. The visibility at the time was quite bad, not a sensible place to be at the best of times. All the main Posettes couloirs have now slid and should be avoided for the rest of the season! The Vallorcine lift is actually closed at the moment because of a technical problem with the Belle place chair which won’t open until the 25th.

Anyone know exactly where the avalanche was. There was a serious incident a couple of years back when boarder who was well known locally, as he worked in one of the bars got caught out, I think he had to have one of his legs amputated. That was in the area described above further along the east ridge towards the gondola.

That was in 2006, a New Zealand guy wasn’t it?

If you look at the Posettes from Vallorcine the avalanche was above and right of the Vallorcine crag at about 1700m. I was skiing in Vallorcine at the time of the incident and vis was very poor. My wife watched the rescue from the window!

Alan Scowcroft - 22 March 2012 05:20 PM

If you look at the Posettes from Vallorcine the avalanche was above and right of the Vallorcine crag at about 1700m. I was skiing in Vallorcine at the time of the incident and vis was very poor. My wife watched the rescue from the window!

Thanks, It sounds like you were spot on that they had gone too low if they were there, I ski that ridge quite often, and apart from the 2006 incident I have not seen or heard of any problems, unlike the Posettes gullies which slide every year or the bowls north of the Tete de Balme which are also notorious.

We have seen quite a few incidents over the years where people have been “blocked”. There are several ways down if you know where you are going but it can be tricky. People getting stuck trying to ski down under the Vallorcine lift happens every year! There were even fresh tracks down the Posettes couloirs this afternoon, some folk just have no imagination!!

Have just been told that the casualty, sadly, is now a fatality.

Thanks for the update, sorry to hear that for the skier and his friends and family. I will post a PDF with the incidents I know of for this season.