A 53-year-old skier died in an avalanche that occurred on Monday January 9, around 12:30 p.m., at Col de Larche. The avalanche occurred at an altitude of 2,500 m at a place called “Bec de l’Aigle”, in the town of Val d’Oronaye.
The victim was part of a group of eight cross-country skiers (50-60 years old), experienced skiers from the French Alpine Club of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes). They had spent the night in a refuge.
Found under four meters of snow and in cardio-respiratory arrest, the victim died despite the intervention of the emergency services and his comrades. Five members of the group, all men, are unharmed. Two other members were also swept away by the avalanche. These two women were taken care of in a state of shock and in a state of hypothermia.
Risk “marked in the massifs of the Southern Alps
Significant rescue resources were mobilised, three helicopters, two from the gendarmerie (04 and 05) and one from Civil Security (06), and around twenty rescuers – including three dog teams – from the High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoons (PGHM) of Jausiers (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) and Briançon (Hautes-Alpes). Twenty firefighters were also hired, including a dog handler. A command post was quickly activated. A judicial inquiry was opened by the Digne-les-Bains prosecutor’s office and entrusted to the Pghm de Jausiers.
Météo France had indicated a “marked” avalanche risk, level 3 out of 5, for Monday, on all of the Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence massifs. “The triggering of avalanches can be caused by recent slabs in place, others in formation with the strong wind. They are possible on any slope especially above 2000 – 2200 m approximately, these instabilities can give way to the passage of a skier or hiker even far from the ridges“, warns Météo France, which has also maintained until midnight Tuesday January 10, “yellow” avalanche vigilance in the two departments.
On December 5, two ski tourers – equipped with avalanche victim detectors (DVA) – were swept away by an avalanche on the heights of Enchastrayes in Ubaye. Seriously injured, Bruno Grosso, a former restaurateur at Sauze, died the next day as a result of his injuries.