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*Breaking News* Snowboarder killed in an avalanche off piste in Chamonix
by Caroline Face | Ski News Reporter | published 21-Dec-2009 | last updated 23-Dec-2009
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An avalanche in the off-piste from Tete de Balme claims
the life of a young skier today |
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Waking up this morning (Monday) to around 30cm of fresh snow throughout the valley at the 2000m level, it was set to be a classic powder day in the Chamonix valley ski areas. However, high winds overnight meant the snow was pretty unstable in certain areas and a young snowboarder found this out and it cost them their life in Le Tour this morning.
It seems the snowboarder was from the Limoges area of France, although we also heard early reports that the victim was skiing. The 25 year old was caught in a slab avalanche in the Jeurs area of the Le Tour ski domain at around 11:50 this morning. Twenty five rescue workers were scrambled to the avalanche, which saw a slab of snow two metres high tumble, creating a 150m long avalanche.
Les Jeurs is a superb off piste area which is actually in Switzerland (but accessed from the Tete de Balme chairlift), that is notorious for windlips and big avalanches. We spoke to pisteurs this morning in Le Tour, who told us that although Tete de Balme lift opened around 10:00, the main red run off it (Belle Place) was shut, as in a separate incident the windblown snow had broken off, with large blocks tumbling onto the piste.
Despite these closures and a clear avalanche chequered flag flying signifying a 3/4 risk, it seems the skier headed off under the rope to skier's right of Tete de Balme chair with two friends and all got caught in an avalanche. It seems the two friends were wearing avalanche transceivers and luckily came out on top of the avalanche. The two were rescued by the PGHM mountain rescue service, whilst the victim was buried in the snow. His body was located by rescuers under two metres of snow and then taken by helicopter to Martigny in Switzerland.
A timely reminder that although we all love powder, sometimes the combination of meteorological conditions means it really is just too risky, as this young man has the sad and dubious honour of being the first avalanche victim of the 2009/2010 winter season in the Chamonix valley.
Sources : Our local spies/Romandie News
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