An english skier was swept away by a large avalanche while he was skiing in a ski area that was closed due to the high risk of avalanches.
Tuesday 28 January 2025, ended in tragedy on the Grands Montets ski area (Chamonix valley) for a 55-year-old skier who lost his life after being swept away by a large avalanche in a closed area of the Grands Montets ski resort.
The skier, of English origin, was found at 4:35 p.m. by the ski patrollers, who, as they were preparing to close part of the slopes, noticed in the area of the Bochard gondola a large avalanche, 1 km long and 400m wide, which had not been there a few hours earlier. With the help of the responsive private company, Chamonix Mont-Blanc Hélicoptères, they set-up a grid search to inspect the avalanche debris and something caught their attention.
It was a human elbow, protruding through the surface of the debris. In minutes, a first responder team from the Chamonix PGHM, traveling in Choucas 74 helicopter out of their base in Les Bois, was on site. This team included the duty emergency room doctor from one of the Pays du Mont Blanc hospitals. The team dug into the debris, to uncover the victim who they hoped might still be alive.
Unfortunately, they could only confirm his death. The PGHM recovered the body of the victim to Les Bois.
Le Dauphiné
