Skier Killed in Avalanche in Val d'Isere
German man loses life despite being rescued within 15 minutes of burial
Following the avalanche in Verbier two days ago that claimed the life of a young Swedish woman, reports are emerging that another skier has been killed in an avalanche in the Alps.
The avalanche occurred below the Pointe du Grand Vallon in the Fornet area in Val d'Isere at around 12:30 on Friday the 21st of December. It was reported to have been 350m long and 150m wide. Although the male victim was quickly located by the ski patrol within 15 minutes of burial, he was found to be in a state of cardio-respiratory arrest and could not be resucitated.
The victim - a German holidaymaker - was skiing offpiste with his partner and a professional from the ski resort when the avalanche occurred. The man was located by the ski patrol within 15 minutes as he was equipped with an avalanche transceiver. He was found to be in a state of cardio-respiratory arrest and sadly died despite resucitation attempts which lasted for over an hour.
The avalanche risk for the Tarentaise today was rated at Level 3 (considerable) following recent heavysnowfalls, high winds and temperature flucutations. Authorities across the Alps are urging anyone who ventures off piste to be extremely cautious and only to do so if they are properly equipped with avalanche safety gear and know what they are doing.
If you are planning to head out of bounds, you should consider hiring a mountain professional and at the very least, check the local avalanche bulletin before venturing off piste, make sure you have fresh batteries in your avalanche transceiver, and know how to use your safety equipment.
