Industry News
A bluebird day in the French Alps turned deadly on Saturday, February 15, as two separate avalanches in the Savoie region claimed three lives and left several others injured.
The first avalanche struck around noon in the municipality of Arvillard, in the Belledonne massif. A group of backcountry skiers was ascending the Grands Moulins peak, which rises to 2,495 meters (8,186 feet), when a sudden slide swept away three members of the group. A 30-year-old woman was killed, while two men sustained serious injuries. Another group of hikers nearby raised the alarm, prompting an immediate rescue effort.
Emergency responders, including two mountain rescue officers and a doctor, were dispatched by helicopter, supported by firefighters from Pays de Savoie. The workforce of the CRS Alpes de Grenoble, alongside helicopter teams and the Groupe Montagne Sapeurs-Pompiers (GMSP) de la Savoie, was engaged in search and rescue operations. The injured were transported to hospitals in Grenoble and Chambéry for treatment. A mountain guide in the vicinity of the off-piste area assisted in the initial rescue efforts.
Just two hours later, a second avalanche struck in the Bonneval-sur-Arc region, near the Iseran Pass at an altitude of 2,760 meters (9,055 feet). A group of five hikers was making its way toward the Col des Fours when the snow gave way beneath them. Two hikers, a woman and a man in his 30s, were buried under the snow. The other three climbers survived and managed to locate their companions using avalanche transceivers. The group was heading to the Col des Fours. The survivors of the avalanche were taken care of at the medical center of the Val d’Isère station, in a state of shock. Yesterday, a man in his 30s had been miraculously rescued, after spending more than an hour under 1.5 meters (5 feet) of snow.
The proximity of the Val d’Isère ski area allowed rescuers to arrive quickly. They were later joined by helicopters from the CRS Alpes and SMUR doctors. Despite these efforts, both victims suffered cardiorespiratory arrest and could not be revived. Rescue teams from the Modane and Courchevel posts, including five mountain officers and dog handlers, were deployed with aerial support from the gendarmerie and civil security.
Saturday’s twin tragedies underscore the persistent dangers of alpine terrain, even on seemingly favorable days. Authorities have urged skiers and hikers to exercise extreme caution, particularly as fluctuating temperatures continue to destabilize the snowpack across the region. Recent snowfall combined with strong winds has made the snowpack particularly unstable, with the avalanche risk rated at Level 3 out of 5 in the Belledonne, Beaufortain, Vanoise, Maurienne, Haute-Maurienne, and Haute-Tarentaise massifs. The risk is expected to remain at Level 3 out of 5 in Haute-Maurienne and decrease to Level 2 in other Savoie massifs, except for Chartreuse, which is at Level 1 out of 5. Officials emphasize that avalanche accidents can still occur even at the lowest risk levels.
- Related: The Science Behind Avalanches
François Ravier, Prefect of Savoie, expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and urged winter sports enthusiasts to follow professional safety guidance when venturing outside ski areas. “It is important to not believe that Level 3 out of 5 is an average risk level,” he stated, noting that in the 2023-24 season, three out of four avalanche accidents occurred during periods of marked risk at this level. Statistically, most deadly European avalanches happen at Level 3, which many falsely believe to be a moderate or average risk.
Mountain rescues continue to stress the importance of vigilance, particularly in areas exposed to strong and frequent winds, which, combined with fresh snowfall, create unstable and hard-to-detect wind slabs. This takes the death toll in the French Alps to 18 for the 2024-25 season.
