The 32 year old man was on the Super Santons itineraries at around 2,450 meters. He had separated from a friend who witnessed the slide and gave the alert. He was found in a state of cardio-vascular arrest under 1 meter of snow. The slide was 300 meters long. The piste services were able to resuscitate the victim but he died during transfer to the hospital at Bourg St Maurice. The boarder was said to be very experienced with many seasons behind him. There have been five avalanche deaths in four incidents in l’Espace Killy over the past fortnight.
Around 40 cm of snow has fallen in the area over the last couple of days and this snowfall has been accompanied by strong westerly winds. This snow is sitting on a fragile layer of angular grains. The risk of avalanche is 4 (high) on a scale of 5 with a decrease in stability over the next 48 hours. People going off piste are advised to exercise extreme caution in route finding.
Posted by
davidof on Sunday, 11 January, 2004 at 12:05 AM
Wayne Watson, a ski guide from Alpine Experience has also reported that a skier suffered a broken femur in an avalanche incident in the Fornet sector of Val d’Isère.
Posted by
davidof on Sunday, 11 January, 2004 at 09:21 PM
At Les Arcs ski tracks were seen entering an avalanche in the combe des Lanchettes and the piste patrol feared the worse. After probing the slide searchers were satisfied that no-one had been caught.
At Aussois in the Maurienne an avalanche occured at 1pm in the the Combe de Paerot. A skier on the chairlift saw two snowboarders in the zone and gave the alert. A huge rescue operation was put in place to probe the slide measuring 200 by 50 meters but it seems that no-one was caught. The ski station also questioned people in the resort to see if anyone was missing.
Finally two ski mountaineers, residents of Chamonix and originating from Finland have been found alive in the Aiguilles Rouges. They had been missing since Thursday after having become separated from their four friends. Equipped with avalanche transceivers, the men had tried to reach the valley, finally seeking refuge in a hut near Villy on the slopes of Mont Buet.
Posted by
davidof on Thursday, 15 January, 2004 at 12:21 AM
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