Tuesday 8 March 2022, at around 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon, a 30-year-old man suffered a fall while he was skiing alone at Pas de Chèvre in Chamonix.
The High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon (PGHM) received the alert from Montenvers employees who saw something abnormal from their post.
According to Le Dauphiné, the Chamonix PGHM quickly went to the scene with the the Dragon 74 civil security helicopter. The seriously injured skier was transported to Annecy hospital. His vital prognosis is engaged.
Without the presence of a close witness, the circumstances of his accident remain unclear.
The Pas de Chevre is an off-piste route from the top of the Grands Montets down to the Mer de Glace. The route descends to the west from the top lift station. On the route, skiers have to choose to pass through one of four couloirs (Pas de Chevre, Central Couloir, Rectiligne, Couloir de Dru). None of them are easy to navigate.
Unfortunately, the exit of the classic Pas de Chèvre has become increasingly dangerous in recent years. As climate change has caused an accelerating loss of ice in the Mer de Glace, the moraine walls surrounding the Pas de Chèvre exit couloir have become steeper and more lethal. The moraine here is now inherently unstable and prone to collapses of potentially large volumes of material. While it is still possible to find short windows in winter where cold temperatures and sufficient snow cover can allow skiers to pass through the moraine without excessive risk, these windows are increasingly fleeting and difficult to judge. It is therefore largely no longer advisable to use this exit.
More info: FATMAP Pas de Chèvre
Source : @Le Dauphiné Libéré
