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French Alps Avalanches Kill Six as Rescue Chiefs Urge Skiers to Avoid Off‑Piste

Forecasters say layered, fragile snow after heavy falls and wind will keep the danger high for days.

Overview

  • Three fatal avalanches on Sunday followed three on Saturday, bringing the weekend toll to six off‑piste deaths across La Plagne, Courchevel, Vallorcine, Tignes, Val d’Isère and Arêches‑Beaufort.
  • Météo France set risk at level 4 out of 5 over the weekend and nivologists warn instability could persist for weeks, with a marked risk still posted in many northern Alpine massifs.
  • Savoie’s high‑mountain gendarmerie urged people to stay off unsecured terrain for the next few days after conducting 13 interventions on Sunday.
  • Rescuers described prolonged searches, including a victim found under about 2.5 meters of snow after roughly 50 minutes, and noted that several victims lacked avalanche transceivers.
  • Separately in Avoriaz, a station snowmobile struck a chairlift queue, seriously injuring a 22‑year‑old who was airlifted to Geneva; the vehicle was seized for analysis, the driver’s alcohol and drug tests were negative, and a judicial inquiry is underway.