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French Alps Avalanches Kill Six as Authorities Urge Skiers to Stay On-Piste

Mountain gendarmes say the level 4 risk will persist for days.

Overview

  • Resort and police officials confirmed six deaths over Saturday and Sunday across Savoie and Haute-Savoie, with most incidents occurring off-piste.
  • The Savoie high-mountain gendarmerie strongly advised against off-piste skiing for the next days, warning that sunshine and warming could trigger further slides.
  • Météo France kept the avalanche danger at level 4 out of 5 on Monday across much of the northern Alps and parts of the Pyrenees.
  • At La Plagne, more than 50 rescuers located a British skier of about 50 years old buried under roughly 2.5 meters of snow, but he could not be revived and was not wearing a transceiver.
  • Fatal avalanches were also reported at Courchevel and Vallorcine on Sunday after deadly slides Saturday at Val d’Isère and Arêches-Beaufort, as Savoie’s mountain unit logged 13 interventions and opened inquiries into the triggers.