A major avalanche occurred this Friday, February 13, in an off-piste area of the Val d’Isère ski area, in Savoie. It caused the death of three people. Two of them were accompanied by a professional.
Three men died this Friday, February 13, after a large-scale avalanche in the Val d’Isère ski area, in Savoie.
According to information from the CRS Alpes, the avalanche occurred around 11:30 a.m. in an off-piste sector of the resort. The search is over, mountain rescue officials said shortly before 2 p.m. this Friday, while body evacuation operations continued at the start of the afternoon.
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A major avalanche occurred this Friday, February 13, in the Val d’Isère ski area, in Savoie.
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According to the director of the Val d’Isère slopes management, Cédric Bonnevie, two of the victims, of British origin, were part of a group of four skiers accompanied by a professional. “All were equipped” safety equipment (DVA, shovel, probe), according to information from the station. Alcohol and drug checks were carried out with the monitor: “They turned out to be negative”indicates the public prosecutor of Albertville, Benoît Bachelet.
The third deceased victim, a Frenchman, was not part of this group, but was still equipped with safety equipment. This avalanche also caused a slight injury. According to the CRS Alpes, the victims were swept away by cascading avalanches.
The group supervised by an instructor “wouldn’t seem to have seen the avalanche coming because they were really at the bottom of the slope”explained Cédric Bonnevie during a press conference. The third deceased victim was “higher up the slope”according to him. “Was it she who made the avalanche go away? Was it other people? Did it start naturally? We can’t know”he added.
“An investigation into manslaughter was opened by the Albertville public prosecutor’s office and entrusted to the CRS Alpes”adds the prosecutor. The avalanche was filmed by a witness at the scene. “It was mainly to help the emergency services. Besides, I tried to send it to the trackers in Val d’Isère. They arrived quite quickly and we directed them”reports the videographer, Antoine Martignon, at the microphone of France 3 Alpes.
This Friday, February 13, the greatest vigilance was required in the mountains. The Vanoise massif, like most other massifs in the Northern Alps, is affected by a “high” risk of avalanche (4/5), according to Météo France. This Thursday, the Savoie department was placed on avalanche red alert.
The station reminds that it is recommended “for practitioners to use the secure and marked areas of the ski area”. “The first precaution would be to know how to give up. It is the expression of a good knowledge of the mountain environment and the associated risks”underlines the general director of the French Ski School (ESF), Jean-Marc Simon. “Following such heavy snowfall, wind which creates wind slabs, (…) it is not the time to go out and it is better to wait until it stabilizes”he recommends.
date: 2026-02-13 17:56:00
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