Avalanche
Two teenagers, aged 12 and 17, were rescued after being swept away by an avalanche in the off-piste Spatule sector of Val d’Isère in Savoie, France, on Monday, December 23. The avalanche occurred shortly after 1 p.m. in the Bellevarde area, a rugged and challenging terrain popular with advanced skiers. The region was under an orange snow alert with a high avalanche risk rated at 3/5 due to significant recent snowfall and strong winds.
The teenagers, skiing with their father, were carried approximately 150 meters (492 feet) in the avalanche and collided with trees. Equipped with proper avalanche rescue gear such as transceivers, shovels, and probes, the father managed to dig them out before rescue teams arrived. One suffered head injuries, and the other sustained a leg injury, but both are expected to recover. They were treated at a local medical facility in Val d’Isère.
A dozen rescuers from Val d’Isère participated in the rescue effort, and helicopter support was unavailable due to adverse weather conditions. The local administrative authority in Savoie has warned that the region’s 43 centimeters (17 inches) of fresh snow recorded at 1,850 meters (6,070 feet) on Sunday night—combined with an additional 20 to 40 centimeters (8 to 16 inches) that fell on Monday—has created a highly unstable snowpack. This instability increases the likelihood of large, dangerous avalanches, particularly in steep and off-piste areas like those in Val d’Isère.
Skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers are cautioned to avoid avalanche-prone areas without avalanche knowledge and essential safety equipment, including a shovel, probe, and avalanche transceiver. Had the two teenage boys and their father not been carrying the correct gear and versed in avalanche rescue, the outcome could have been far graver. Val d’Isère, known for its extreme terrain and appeal to expert skiers, remains a destination requiring the utmost vigilance during unstable snow conditions.
