Unfortunately two skiers have been involved in fatal falls over the Christmas break. One off-piste and the other on the Poutran run in the ski resort of Les Deux Alpes.
A 34 year old man was killed on Monday after falling 80 meters while skiing off-piste in the ski resort of Gavarnie-les-Especières in the Pyrénées.
A 20 year old man died of his injuries at 14h00 today after falling on the Poutran piste. The exact cause of the accident isn’t clear although the pistes were described as ‘icy’ at altitude. The fall happened at 3100 meters while the skier was descending alone. The piste rescue services found the man in a state of cardio-vascular arrest and immediately called the mountain police (PGHM) rescue helicopter from nearby l’Alpe d’Huez. However they were unable to resuscitate the skier.
The French government is currently running a safety campaign urging skiers to wear helmets and control their speed.