A group of off piste skiers has been caught by an avalanche on the Aiguille Rouge above the ski resort of les Arcs 2000. The alert was given by a professional just after 15h20 who had witnessed one of the group being completely buried. The piste patrol sent two teams with avalanche dogs to the scene. The body of the victim, a 14 year old boy, was found after 20 minutes under the snow by a probe search following visual clues. The victim was not wearing an avalanche transceiver.
Off piste skiers today in the French Alps
The avalanche risk was 3 (Considerable) in the sector. The avalanche bulletin warned of numerous soft snow slabs in place resting on a persistent weak layer which could be triggered by the passage of a skier or even remotely. Slab thickness could be up to 150 cm at altitude.
On Monday two teenagers, aged 12 and 17, triggered an avalanche on the Bellevarde in Val d’Isere. The avalanche was in the Spatule sector and occurred at 13h20. They were skiing with their father. Carried 150 meters down slope through trees one of the group was buried by the slide. They received head and leg injuries. The avalanche risk was ⅘ (High).