A skier dies in the Cosmiques couloir after falling more than 300 meters.
The Cosmiques Couloir is technical skiing with a rating of 5.1 / E3 D+ / S5.
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5.1: Steep and technically advanced ski descent; possibly involving climbing/roped sections.
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E3: Extremely exposed — a fall could be fatal.
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D+: Quite difficult overall, requires mountaineering skills and solid experience.
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S5: Very steep skiing (45–50°); high technical demand.
This route is well-known to committed skiers. Along with the Rond Glacier, it is one of the two most famous ski descents in the Mont Blanc massif.
It was 9:20 a.m on Saturday 10 May 2025, when an alert reached the Chamonix PGHM. Immediately, a rescue team with a doctor took off from their base in Les Bois, Chamonix in an EC 145 helicopter. Within 12 minutes the aircraft was on location but because of the steep 45+ degrees train, it could not land.
A rescue team was lowered from the helicopter to the location of the victim.
On site, rescuers attempted resuscitation but were only able to confirm that the skier was dead. The body of this French citizen in his 50s, was recovered up to the helicopter.
Saturday, May 10th, was a relatively busy day for the Chamonix PGHM, with a total of six rescues. Another operation also involved a steep-slope skier, this time in the Capucin couloir. The man fractured his leg and had to be evacuated by the mountain gendarmes.
Finally, on the north face of Mont Blanc du Tacul, a skier triggered an avalanche. This avalanche swept away two skiers located downstream. The Chamonix PGHM rescued both victims and transported them to Sallanches hospital.
Le Dauphiné
