Avalanche
According to PlanetSKI, a French teacher has been sentenced to prison after two of his students were killed in an avalanche in a closed area at Les Deux Alps Ski Resort, France in 2016. On January 13th, 2016, Michel Arquillière took students into a closed area. They triggered an avalanche that killed 2 of the students as well as a Ukrainian skier who was not with them. A 16-year-old girl died on the scene and a 14-year-old boy died in the hospital from injuries sustained in the avalanche. Several other students were injured as well.
Michel was also seriously injured by the avalanche and was arrested while in the hospital. He was charged with manslaughter. Yesterday, Michel was sentenced to 2 years in prison, with half of it suspended. He told the court that the medication that he was taking at the time probably affected his judgement. Leading up to the avalanche, he had returned to work after receive psychiatric treatment for severe depression.
“I have no explanation,” stated Michel. “It is true that with hindsight, I had a totally unconscious behaviour. I was not myself that day. I had suffered from depression a few months before. On January 13, 2016, I was still in treatment, probably not in a position to supervise students. I was passive, a follower.”
So many people die in avalanches due to zero avalanche training. Many more have over $2000 dollars of the latest and best equipment (Probes, shovel, transponder, pack with inflation device and radio.) and these folks also have zero avalanche training. Why so many fool hardy skiers disregard the roped off warnings at ski areas? Well they die and take others with them. In this sad case two children died, many injured and traumatized and now the teacher gets two years in the slammer. All it takes is a few bucks for a class and the expensive equipment and most of all experience and common sense.