Rescue helicopter visible at the foot of the couloir yesterday evening
Rescue helicopter visible at the foot of the couloir yesterday evening
A 55-year-old skier died on Saturday December 10 in an avalanche in Vars (Haute-Alpes), the third fatal accident in a week in the Alps due to a very unstable snowpack, we learned this Sunday from the help calling for "greater caution".

The vigilance of Météo France extended to two days on extreme climatic events

The 50-year-old was caught in a casting in the afternoon, while he was off-piste, under the peak of Chabrières, a place accessible by the ski lifts of the station, indicated the CRS Hautes-Alpes. He was found dead by paramedics, as reported by " Dauphine Libere ".

"The snowpack is prone to avalanches"

This is the third death in an avalanche in a week in the Alps, all sectors combined, said the Hautes-Alpes company. The two other fatal avalanches took place on Monday in Enchastrayes (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) and Wednesday at Pic Blanc du Galibier (Savoie). "We call on skiers to be very careful, the snowpack is currently prone to avalanches"warn the emergency services.

Météo France also reported on Saturday "high risk of avalanche triggering by skiers" and recommended "the greatest caution (...) for the practice of mountain activities off marked and open trails" on the Hautes-Alpes, Ubaye and Oisans massifs.

"On these massifs, for two days, 30 to 50 cm of snow has fallen from 1,500 m, up to 80 cm in altitude. This fresh snow is underlain by widespread weak layers. The northerly wind, which is strengthening on Sunday, will easily transport the snow that has remained light on the surface, thus creating new instabilities"details Meteo France.

Therefore, explains the organization, "avalanches, sometimes large, can be easily triggered by the passage of a single person". This Sunday, a new accident confirmed these risks: in the ski area of ​​Valloire (Savoie), a 50-year-old man, who was skiing off-piste, caused an avalanche, from which he emerged unscathed, alone, indicated to the AFP the company of CRS of Modane.