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2025 Archive Index - All Editions

Five skiers killed in French Alps avalanches

Five skiers were killed in two separate avalanches in the French Alps on Wednesday, local officials have confirmed. One torrent of snow came in Val-Cenis, in the south-eastern Savoie region, killing four Norwegian skiers, while a Swiss skier died further north in the Haute-Savoie region, near Chamonix.

The Swiss victim, a 30-year-old woman, was skiing with her brother, who was taken to hospital for tests, and her father, who was unharmed. All three had anti-avalanche airbags and were skiing off-piste in the Mont Blanc massif mountain range.

The incident with four fatalities has been added to the Avalanche-Center.org database
More ... (BBC)

Snowboarder is buried by an avalanche and dies

On Wednesday, an avalanche fell in Parpan, in the municipality of Churwalden, and buried a snowboarder. He died in the avalanche field. Shortly before 12 noon, the Graubünden cantonal police control center received a report of an avalanche at the so-called Ochsatobel. A colleague who was traveling with the snowboarder and third parties immediately began searching for the buried victim. According to the Graubünden cantonal police, skiing outside the marked and secured ski slopes carries a certain risk.
More ... (Bluewin)

Two Dutch people die as a result of avalanches in Switzerland

Two Dutch citizens died on Thursday as a result of two avalanches near Davos in Switzerland. They were 35 and 31 years old and were on a ski trip, Swiss police reported on Friday.

The two had started the trip on Thursday morning with a Swiss ski instructor and one other person. A mass of snow came down a few hours later at an altitude of over 2,700 meters. The two Dutch people were completely buried. One other person was partly buried in the snow. Two helicopters and specially trained dogs were used to find the Dutch people and recover their bodies. All participants in the trip had special avalanche airbags on. They were also wearing devices that would help them get found quickly in the case of an avalanche.

There had been a high risk of avalanches in the area for days, according to the AD. This is a result of the high amount of fresh snow that fell on top of relatively "weak and old snow cover." The Public Prosecution Service and the cantonal police of Graubünden have now started an investigation into the events.
More ... (NL Times)