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Fatal accident at la Grave (13.Feb.2012)
Posted: 14 February 2012 06:14 PM  
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A guide and his client have been killed after a fall before the abseil in the Voûte couloir at la Grave. A third man was able to alert the rescue services. The 30 year old guide was a member of the la Grave guides office, recovered by the CRS with serious head injuries he was heliported to Grenoble hospital where he died during the night. His 50 year old client was killed by the fall. The incident occurred around 17h00. According to the rescue services the men fell 500 meters from the abseil point where they found a glove and ski pole. The couloir is a 2200 meter decent with 30 meter abseil. The conditions at the base of the couloir where described as “icy” yesterday.

 
 
Posted: 14 February 2012 09:04 PM   [ # 1 ]  
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Sad news.

Was down there last week & conditions were definitely on the ‘firm’ side after the midweek wind.

 
 
Posted: 14 February 2012 09:45 PM   [ # 2 ]  
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Even in the Chartreuse yesterday the summits were vere polished. Great skiing in the trees, so long as you didn’t hit old tracks. I see the Isere avalanche bulletin is warning of the risk of falls.

 
 
Posted: 14 February 2012 10:22 PM   [ # 3 ]  
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Here is the news article on the accident:

http://www.ledauphine.com/hautes-alpes/2012/02/14/un-guide-et-son-client-sont-morts-en-montagne

Here is a recent video on the line.

http://vimeo.com/35368209

The approach to the rap would be sketch in hard conditions.

Carrying an ice axe and crampons could reduce some of these problems…

(Like the guy in the vid, I see quite a few inexperienced skiers on mountain lines in hard coinditions with rocker skis and a helmet cam. Here, we see no whippet and no ice axe in view.  One needs the tools for the actual conditions not the ones you wish for.  Rocker tips and a straight tail on a stiff ski capable of edging make more sense than a powder speciality ski.)

[ Edited: 14 February 2012 10:47 PM by jumpturn]
 
 
Posted: 15 February 2012 12:23 PM   [ # 4 ]  
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a bit more info here:

http://alpes.france3.fr/info/la-grave--un-guide-et-son-client-se-tuent-72491511.html

Late yesterday afternoon in a skiing accident has claimed the lives of a guide and one of his two clients.

Yesterday, the CRS Alps Briancon occurred on the La Grave, following a serious skiing accident that has affected a guide station and client. The man aged 49, living in Voiron, died in the accident, the guide later died after being taken to hospital.

After a morning of skiing in the Valleys of the Meije, a guide and two clients are parties to make the route “The Voulte”, a high mountain in the backcountry.

Parties, in the early afternoon of the arrival station of the cableway Meije at 3200 meters altitude, the trio skied up a passage requiring the installation of a recall of about thirty meters.

This reminder has gone well, the three men then gathered at the foot of the cliff, facing a very steep slope (35%), on a snow excessively hard, and that’s where the drama is played.

After a few turns, for reasons that remain to Lighten, the guide and his client have loosened over 400 meters. At present it remains unclear if the client slipped and broke his guide, or if the guide fell while trying to catch up with his client in danger.

The second customer, a 38 year old Austrian, came down the slope until the two bodies, noting the death of fellow ski very serious condition and the guide who accompanied them.

For summoning assistance, he continued his descent to the road where he stopped a vehicle, a car was following right behind the police station, the alert was given to 17 hours.

At nightfall, on a land inaccessible to the men conducting the Alps CRS aid, evacuating the guide whose life was committed to the hospital in Briançon. He died during his evacuation to hospital of Grenoble. Affiliated to the office of La Grave guides, he was just 29 years.

This is the PGHM Briançon which is responsible for the investigation.

 
 
Posted: 24 February 2012 04:06 PM   [ # 5 ]  
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Hi,

my heart goes out to the friends and family of the skiers who died.

Just for the sake of clarification, there are two entries to La Voute couloir. In the referenced video you can see the less used skiers left entry, which has two rappels (25m + ~30m depending on snow conditions). The less exposed and more frequently used skiers right entry has one ~30m rappel. According to the news the unfortunate skiers entered the couloir using the skiers right entry.

The skiers on the video did have axes and crampons etc, however in the prevailing conditions the skiers did not see it necessary to apply them. One should never go to this kind of terrain without proper tools as jumpturn mentioned.

BR,
Ville

jumpturn - 14 February 2012 10:22 PM

Here is the news article on the accident:

http://www.ledauphine.com/hautes-alpes/2012/02/14/un-guide-et-son-client-sont-morts-en-montagne

Here is a recent video on the line.

http://vimeo.com/35368209

The approach to the rap would be sketch in hard conditions.

Carrying an ice axe and crampons could reduce some of these problems…

(Like the guy in the vid, I see quite a few inexperienced skiers on mountain lines in hard coinditions with rocker skis and a helmet cam. Here, we see no whippet and no ice axe in view.  One needs the tools for the actual conditions not the ones you wish for.  Rocker tips and a straight tail on a stiff ski capable of edging make more sense than a powder speciality ski.)