http://www.lematin.ch/faits-divers/fribourgeois-tue-avalanche/story/14528176 - Google Translate

A fribourgeois climber killed by an avalanche
A 50-year veteran mountaineer and director of a sports shop, died yesterday morning (23/4/2012) by falling from a cliff. He was carried by an avalanche while backcountry skiing with his 19 year old son.

Monday, shortly before 8am, a local mountain climber, was killed in the Fribourg Alps. The 50 year old man, an experienced mountaineer and director of Oxygen mountain sports shop in Ependes (FR), was ski touring with his 19 year old son when they were caught in an avalanche on the slopes of the mountain of Schafharnisch, in the town of Plaffeien (FR). The father was carried by the snow slide towards a cliff and fell from a height of 600 meters.

His son, who managed to escape the slide just before the precipice, immediately alerted the emergency services. The Rega, assisted by the Lac Noire rescue services could do nothing for the man.

Across the Alps on Skis

The victim was familiar with the mountain and its risks. In addition to the avalanche bulletins on Radio Fribourg, he was also providing courses in his shop on the use of detectors needed for avalanche victims (DVA). But he always remembered a DVA is like a seatbelt in a car, they can not prevent the avalanche flow.

In 1984 he had crossed the Alps on skis with three other Fribourgois: a journey of three months, from Austria to France through the Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa. Nearly twenty years later, between the summers of 2002 and 2003, this time he, his wife and children traveled the world’s roads for a year.

The accident occurred at Schafarnisch at 2100m on a N/NW slopes. Avalanche risk was 2.

Regarding the Chamrousse avalanche on Wednesday, you may wonder what the conditions were that led to this. Sunday saw about 20cm of fresh snow, at mid altitudes this fell as graupel (like hard polystyrene balls). It seems this was covered by between 20-50cm of wind blown snow. The graupel formed the weak layer rather than temperature gradient snow.

A skier, part of a group of 3, one of them a professional, was seriously injured in a slide in the couloir des “Trousses” 2 (pouch couloir) in the ski resort of Val d’Isere on Tuesday 24/4/2012. Poor weather prevented a helicopter rescue, instead the victim who had been swept over cliff bands, was evacuated by stretcher by members of the piste patrol. The avalanche occurred just above the Chemin des Côves. The avalanche risk was 4/5.

The Fribourg location is better described as Gantrisch and Lac Noir is better known as Schwarzsee. It’s a well known ski touring area at the end of a ridge line running from Bulle or Gruyère. It’s not very high but gets some good snow cover. Unknown outside the locality but really very, very good.

Google translate originally gave it as the “Black lake rescue services” which I quite liked, very American.

The PdG has been cancelled due to the avalanche risk, first high winds (foehn) then no refreeze. Here is the weather report

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUzRN1iQqJs

and press release, that’s 1200CHF / team up the Swanee :-(

http://www.pdgnews.ch/fr/index.html

There were rumours of a avalanche and death but it seems likely the competitors got confused with the Mont Fort avalanche which killed an off piste skier and was nothing to do with the course (see above).

A Norwegian skier has been killed by an avalanche in the Mont Blanc range. He was buried by a slide that carried him over 300 vertical meters while skiing on the Argentière glacier at 3400 meters altitude. Rescued by ski tourers who witnessed by the slide they took him to a refuge 700 meters lower down. Due to extreme winds the rescue helicopter was unable to take off and the man died during the night in the refuge.

A little bit more on the Chamonix incident (note, climber not skier)

http://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2012/04/29/un-alpiniste-tue-par-une-avalanche

Saturday at 13 hours, a Norwegian mountaineer gave the alert to the team of the mountain gendarmerie (PGHM) from the refuge of Argentière.

Shortly before, an avalanche had swept away one of his two climbing partners for 100 meters, from the top of the glacier du Milieu, the Aiguille d’Argentière. The 48 year old man complained of an injury to his leg and “sore ribs”.

After several attempts by the rescue helicopter, unsuccessful due to the windstorm, rescuers asked the guides in the refuge to try to rescue the injured climbing partner.

They managed to reach the victim and get him back down to the refuge at about 22 hours on a makeshift sled. A German doctor was tried to save him but at 00h30, the victim finally succumbed to his injuries.

Recall that in recent days heavy snowfall blanketed the Mont-Blanc. A layer made very unstable by global and high winds.

The last week has seen quite a few weather systems bringing snow across the Alps and beyond. Snowline has been down to 1700 meters and it was possible to ski from around 1400 meters at the weekend, but the lower level rain isn’t doing much for the conditions.

A lot of snow at altitude. This photo was taken at 2300 meters where there is still over 2 meters of snow depth.

Sorry I haven’t updated this thread for a while. Zero Iso has been down to 2000m in the Alps, 1500m in the Pyrenees over the last few days and in some areas we’ve had a months precipitation in 24 hours. A quick tour of the snow depths gives us

La Plagne, 3000m: +30cm, 260cm
Belledonne, 2250m: +35cm, 180cm
Les Ecrins, 2950m: +50cm, 260cm
Mont Blanc, 2300m: +35cm, 150cm

Ariege, 2300m: +100cm, 150cm

Yes that’s a massive 1 meter of snowfall in some parts of the Pyrenees.

Of course with the zero iso around 3000-3500m today you will see a lot of natural avalanche activity!