On the Italian side of the frontier two ski tourers have been killed and two are missing following an avalanche in the Val Pellice above the refuge de Jervis and a group of three ski tourers were injured by an avalanche in the Val d’Aoste.
Further south in the Pyrenees a husband and wife were hit by a slide on the Spanish side of the border near Luchon. The avalanche happened on the south side of the Pic de Sauvegarde in the vallée de Bénasque. The PGHM from Luchon assisted their Spanish colleagues. The ski tourers were carried 500 meters by the slide into a terraiin trap. The man managed to stay on the surface of the slide. The rescue services have not been able to recover the body of the wife.
Article in the same vein in the Dauphine this morning concerning the Isere department.
The 4 Italian skiers have been named as Federico Negris, Walter Rivoira, Marco Capone (high mountain guide) and Massimo Podio. All well known in the world of Italian ski mountaineering.
Federico Negri on the NE face of Tardevant.
http://www.ilgiornale.it/a.pic1?ID=312666
http://www.lafiocavenmola.it/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2159
This is the result of the huge increase in the number of backcountry enthusiasts, which is what the ski industry is making as its point of emphasis. Most of these folks don’t have the skills to go out in the backcountry, but are lulled into a false sense of security by their backcountry equipment.