Sun, 04 May 2014: tragedy on Point Colerin, above the Bessans village, in Haute Maurienne region: a Chamonix-local high mountain guide was carried down the Point Colerin by an avalanche.
The PGHM was alerted at 11:05 am about a tragedy near Point Colerin, in the Albaron region, above the Bessans village.
Sunday morning, three mountaineers from Chamonix, were descending Point Colerin on skis when one of them was hit by a 250 meter wide snow slide.
Before the start of the avalanche, one of the three mountaineers, Philippe Chillet, a High Mountain Guide from Chamonix Valley, passed in front of the group to check the safety of the route. He was the only one to be caught in the avalanche. A second group, located somewhere above the scene of the accident, alerted the PGHM. On arrival at the scene of the accident the three PGHM rescuers quickly located the victim and took him out of the snow. Seriously injured, the man was taken by helicopter to Grenoble Hospital.
The other two members of the group suffered no apparent injury.
Monday morning, 5 May 2014, Philippe Chillet, a very experienced High Mountain Guide, member of the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, died of his injuries in the Grenoble Hospital.
