Five skiers have lost their lives in two distinct avalanches in the French Alps, according to local officials. The first incident occurred in Val-Cenis, located in the southeastern Savoie region, where four Norwegian skiers were caught in a massive snow torrent. Three of these skiers died instantly, while a fourth, a woman, succumbed to severe hypothermia and cardiac arrest at a nearby hospital. This group was part of a larger party of seven, with the remaining three skiers narrowly escaping injury. Mayor Jacques Arnoux of Val-Cenis reported to AFP that every member of the group had been equipped with an avalanche beacon, crucial for off-piste skiing, which is notoriously more perilous due to its unmarked and uncontrolled conditions.
"This was a significant avalanche that was triggered outside the designated ski area," Mayor Arnoux emphasized. In a separate incident further north in the Haute-Savoie region, near the popular ski destination of Chamonix, a Swiss woman in her thirties also lost her life. She had been skiing alongside her brother, who was admitted to the hospital for medical evaluation, and their father, who remained unhurt. Remarkably, all three were using anti-avalanche airbags during their off-piste skiing in the Mont Blanc massif. Earlier in the week, a 55-year-old Brazilian-Portuguese skier died due to another significant avalanche while skiing on an unmarked section of Mont Blanc, further underscoring the inherent risks associated with backcountry skiing in the region.
