In our September snow bulletin we warned that avalanche conditions in the Isere were unstable above 2000 meters especially with the thaw. Today at 13h00 two walkers were caught by a snow slide climbing a narrow couloir at around 2400 meters above the lac de Crop in the Belledonne range. The two men, both from Grenoble and aged 25 and 34 were carried some 200 meters down the mountain by an avalanche of humid and fresh snow.
Avalanche Lac du Crop (archive photo)
Suffering from light injuries to their legs they were able to free themselvees from the snow. Around 40cm of new snow was lying directly on the ground. However they were not able to descend and alerted the Peleton de Gendarmerie de Haute-Montagne using a mobile phone (fortunately mobile phone signals work around the lake). The two men were taken to the University Hospital in Grenoble. The accident is a reminder that backcountry travellers should take care even out of the winter season. Rain is expected tonight to 3000 meters altitude but colder weater is expected next week.