Overview
- The victim, a 45-year-old American, lost control in the Boismint sector and fatally struck a rock despite wearing a helmet.
- Rescuers arrived in about three minutes; CPR and a defibrillator were used and a gendarmerie helicopter was deployed, but a doctor declared the skier dead at the scene.
- The Albertville prosecutor opened an investigation for involuntary manslaughter by deliberate breach of safety and for drug use, and said the instructor tested positive for narcotics but not alcohol.
- Val Thorens officials warn that off-piste terrain is hazardous because strong winds have scoured snow and left rocks exposed, urging skiers to remain on marked runs until new snowfall.
- The death adds to a recent series of fatal incidents in Savoie, including a 24-year-old killed off-piste at Méribel-Mottaret and avalanche deaths at La Plagne and Valloire.